Raúl López leads a remarkable group performance in the opening time trial of Galicia

Great performance in the fight against time by Raúl López from Aragón, fifth best time in the time trial that started this Thursday the Volta a Galicia. A time trial of strength and power, with an uphill section, in which the rider from Zaragoza set the best time provisionally (8’38”) for many minutes. Only three riders would lower his time, with Diego Uriarte winning with an impressive 8’19”.

Tommaso Bessega, bib number 1 and the last rider to start his participation, set the seventh best time of the day (8’41”) and the ninth time was set by Antonio Gonzalez (8’43”). Luca Bagnara (8’46”) finished twelfth. In general terms, the first fifteen positions of the time trial were taken by the teams Finisher, EOLO-KOMETA, Aluminios Cortizo and Caja Rural-Alea. The negative note of the stage came with Haimar Etxeberria, whose performance was conditioned by an incipient fever.

After the fight against the weather comes the fight against the slopes. The second stage, again starting and finishing in A Pobra do Brollón, presents a very complicated final part after seventy kilometres that are not easy either. The mountains of the Sierra de O Courel will impose their law. The passes through A Casela (pay attention to the descent) and Airapadrón will be the scenes of the first battles for the general classification.

[? Asier Torrado / Federación Galega de Ciclismo]