The Polartec-Kometa U23 can be seen in Torredonjimeno
34ª Clásica Ciudad de Torredonjimeno
Torredonjimeno-Torredonjimeno (174 km)
After the break due to the suspension of the Memorial Valenciaga, a week ago, for safety reasons, the Spanish Under 23 Cup resumed its dispute this Sunday with Clásica Ciudad de Torredonjimeno, a race that revitalized the competitive spirit of the best national teams in the amateur world. The void left by Eibar´s race (Valenciaga) had increased the desire for competition. The Polartec-Kometa came with the highest aspirations and on the winding routes of Jaén has sought to achieve these ambitions, but if there is a sport exposed to a thousand circumstances and in which winning is always very, very difficult, that is cycling.
The Sevillian Juan Pedro Lopez, twelfth in the finish line, was the best of the Polartec-Kometa in Jaén. A place that does not reflect the good group performance of the formation. In Torredonjimeno, the victory went to Antonio Gómez (CajaRural), who stood out in the final stages of the race of the group of twelve units from which the winner emerged and in which the provisional leader of the Cup, Antonio Soto (Lizarte) from Murcia, was finally present. Soto, with his fifth place, holds the lead on the circuit. With the permission of the great previous breakaway, a large group in which Polartec-Kometa had representation, was the passage through Valdepeñas de Jaén which definitely broke the race. A group of twenty-five units was formed there, including López, José Antonio García and Jorge Pastor. Garcia, however, would lose contact on the brink of crowning the Grand Prix in the morning and could no longer connect.
Pastor and two other riders would move later, but six other cyclists would arrive at his level, including Juan Pedro López and the winner of the race. A group of nine units that would continue to evolve in their shape. Pastor would end up dropping out, six units would stand out from among which the winner Gómez would stand out and, from behind, in the vicinity of the last kilometres, another five men would end up arriving, among them the leader Soto, to form the first group of pursuers of the ultimately winner.
Rafa Diaz, director: “We’ve had a rather difficult day because of the mechanical problems. Lots of punctures. Even shooting in the breakaway Juan Pedro has also come to prick. But I’m happy because we’ve been at a high level, always with a presence in the race. The result isn’t fair because of the way we’ve been riding all day, but that’s how cycling works”.
The next event of the Spanish Cup will be held in one week: the Pascual Momparler Memorial on Sunday 22nd April.
(automatic translation, sorry for mistakes)
