The junior team to Ribera del Duero against the best
With the end of the season for the junior team getting closer and closer, one of the most important races of the year, in terms of its participation level, arrives. The Vuelta a la Ribera del Duero, of UCI category, will host a race with some of the best junior teams in Europe.
The team will travel with the six riders allowed by the race per squad. They will be six riders with great ambition to achieve a good result and perform at a good level. Matteo Compagnoni will be one of the novelties in the lineup. The young transalpine suffered a fracture in his arm that has forced him to be out of competition for several months. Eleazar Jiménez will be back with the team after receiving the opportunity to compete in two races with the U-23 squad. Pablo Leno, a fundamental piece for the team due to his great capacity for work and sacrifice, will also be present in the race. Iván Loaisa will return to the competition after his great victory in Benagéber. Finally, Robinson Rincón and Nacho Sanchez will make up a very strong squad.
The route of the race will be very demanding with two summit finishes, one of them at the Laguna Negra, a well-known climb in the cycling world. The first day will be the shortest of the three with a route of less than 70 kilometers, but with a very demanding intermediate zone and a hard finish in the town of Haza. The second day will be the ‘queen’ stage of the race because of the almost 120 kilometers of distance, the finish at Laguna Negra (1st), the passage through Cabeza Alta (2nd) and the start on the climb to Las Escalerillas (3rd). The last day will be the icing on the cake of a route ready for a battle between the cyclists. 4 mountain climbs spread over 106 kilometers and a very winding profile with a finish in Aranda de Duero that will see the final winner raise his arms.
Matteo Compagnoni: “I come to these races after the scaphoid fracture suffered during a training session in June. It has been hard but little by little I am recovering with the hope to give my best for the team and finish the season in the best possible way.”
Eleazar Jiménez: “It is one of the big races of the season, one of the three big stage races of the category along with Besaya and the Vuelta a la Montaña Central either by route or level of riders. I arrive with a lot of desire and motivation to give everything and to be able to do a good role in the race. After running the two races with the U-23 team I arrive with a good lesson learned and with two weeks of good work to get the best possible to this goal. Last race as a junior in which I will try to enjoy as much as I can, give everything in the race and thank the team and teammates for this great season”.
Isaac Canton: “This year the race is going to be different from what we have experienced these past years as it has two mountain finishes and there is no team time trial. It is not an easy race and the wind can also be a protagonist as in previous years, but we bring a block to fight for the victory. In addition, we have Matteo back after his injury”.
Stage 1: Castrillo De la Vega – Haza (67,7km)
Stage 2: Laguna de Duero – Laguna Negra (119,7km)
Stage 3: Aranda de Duero – Aranda de Duero (106,7km)
