Subida al Castillo and Clásica de la Chuleta, two familiar races for the under-23 team in Segovia
After a weekend without races and the competition on Monday and Tuesday in Italy, the team will race in Cuéllar, Segovia, Saturday and Sunday while another part of the squad will race in Ontur.
Polti Kometa U23 will participate with 5 riders in the individual time trial on Saturday and with 6 riders in Sunday’s race. The two races in Segovia will be a new challenge for the squad that will line-up Pablo García, stage winner in the Vuelta a Extremadura, as well as with Riccardo Archetti and Luca Bagnara who will travel directly from Italy after racing the Giro de Belvedere and the GP Palio del Recioto.
The first day will be a very short but demanding time trial. Riders will have to be overcome 1.6 kilometres of time trial with a finish of 750 metres at 7% and a maximum ramp of 11.7%. There will also be several bends that will increase the technical difficulty.
On Sunday, on the other hand, the race will be 159.5 kilometres spread over 5 laps of a circuit between Cuéllar, Torregutierrez, Chañe, Arroyo de Cuéllar and back to the starting point. Along the way there will be five intermediate sprints, one for each lap, to complete the dispute of the prizes of the race. The profile of the race is practically flat except for the approach zone to the town of Cuéllar with 2 kilometres over 2% and the last kilometre that leads to the finish line, which is constantly over 4% on a cobbled road that will make it even more difficult for the riders.
Miguel Gómez will lead the team in the two races in Cuéllar where the team will go “with a block of 6 riders, as it coincides with the Copa de España and there are several injuries”. In the list of six riders the names of Luca Bagnara and Riccardo Archetti appear that will “come in form and with two Italian classics in their legs. The others had a little rest and some of them are recovering from constipation and seasonal problems”. Finally, he added: “Because of the distance, above 100km, accumulation of speed and tension, it’s about being in the moment or provoking a wining movement in the right moment of the resolution of the competition”.
Pablo García returns to competition after a blank weekend after the Vuelta a Extremadura and the Subida a Gorla: “It’s a race I already know with laps on a flat and easy course if the wind doesn’t blow. Besides, the team will take the sprinters to Ontur, so in Cuéllar we will have a group of climbers. Personally, I’m a bit out of shape after the first block of competition, where although the results haven’t been excellent, the physical performance was pretty good, and I’ve also been ill after the short break. My goal is to continue to accumulate kilometres in my legs for May and June, which are the two crucial months of the season for me. I’ll try to help the team as much as possible because even if it’s not the course that benefits us the most, once in competition we’ll give our best”.
Line-up: Riccardo Archetti, Martín Barrero, Luca Bagnara, Gerard Cano, Alex García and Pablo García.
XV Subida al Castillo de Cuéllar
LXIV Gran Premio Ciclista Cuéllar – Clásica de la chuleta
