9 Jul 2024

The junior team faces a Bizkaiko Itzulia with a very high level

Bizkaiko Itzulia

From 11th to 14th of July

In July, the one-day races take a back seat to give importance to stage races for the junior team. After linking the Copa de España in Vitoria with the Vuelta al Besaya, the team will return to the north of the peninsula to compete in the Bizkaiko Itzulia. The race organised by the Sociedad Ciclista Balmasedana is an old acquaintance of the structure and a race where the team won in 2015, 2018 and 2019.

Six cyclists will travel to Bizkaia to compete in an unusual race in the category due to its five stages in four days. After a week’s rest and after competing in the national championships, the team will arrive to the race with their batteries charged. Pablo Leno, Hector Teruel, Carlos Moreno, José Miguel Moreira, Robinson Rincon and Oscar Orts, fourth on the Spanish Championships in Avilés, will be the chosen ones to compete in the race.

Fotografía de Noemi González con Robinson Rincon como protagonista

The five stages of the race will progressively deplete the cyclists’ energies during a race that stands out not for the length of the stages, but for its toughness and high level. The first day will start from Balmaseda, the race organisers’ headquarters. The most demanding part of the day will begin midway through the stage with the ascent to San Cosme (3rd). Once it is crowned, there will be practically no rest until the finish line with the uphill terrain that will have to be overcome in addition to the ascent to Beotegui (3rd). The last 15 kilometres will be on favorable terrain, but will be ridden at high speed. The second stage will start and finish in Markina-Xemein. It will be the longest stage of the edition and will have a route with a double ascent to Gontzugarai (2nd). In addition, the double ascent to Milloi (3rd) added to the accumulation of kilometres will be decisive.

On the third day the cyclists will face a double sector. The stage will be divided into two sectors, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The first sector will take the cyclists to Sopela. They will have to overcome two climbs to Umbe (3rd) during the 70-kilometre stage. A priori, it will be the easiest stage. Meanwhile, in the afternoon, the cyclists will tackle one by one, in individual time trial format, a 2.7-kilometre climb to the Ermita de San Juan from the town of Gordexola. The fourth and final stage of the race will be the ‘queen’ stage. Starting and finishing in Balmaseda, the stage will be a true test of endurance. It will be 94 kilometres of pure ‘up and down’ with the final loop between Avellaneda (3rd) and Beci (2nd) which will be done twice. In total there will be six climbs that will define the general classification of the race.

“We are returning to the competition with a great race. The level of the race and the level of the participating teams is very high. The team has shown that it is coming along very well with some of the riders standing out in the national championships. We are going with the same idea, to continue racing as we have done so far as a team and to fight for the victory, which is taking a long time to come. The guys are riding well, but we need to finish it off. We have a strong team and we are going for it”, explains Isaac Cantón before the race in Bizkaia.

Stage 1: Balmaseda – Sodupe (94,5km)