Recently there were Spanish cycling championships in Jaén; without a doubt, one of the appointments marked in red on the calendar of many cyclists. And at the starting line of the women's road race, some members of the team Miera River-Cantabria Sport They showed up with the firm conviction of doing a good job.
From the first stages of the race, Granada's Elena Pérez forced the peloton to stay awake at all times with a solo escape as soon as the road became steep, achieving a lead that was over a minute. In this way, Elena rode in the lead during the first third of the race until the main favorites hunted her down on the demanding circuit, and with the group completely broken. The worst part was going to be Elisabet Escursell, who just when she He selected the race, he had to change bikes and he would no longer be able to join the group.
From that moment on, in any cut coming from the hands of Mavi García or Ane Santesteban, Irene Méndez was always there, first in a group of four and then in another of nine runners who broke up until they finished, literally, one by one. Thus, as the kilometers progressed, this cut lost units until Irene was left alone with the Movistar cyclist Eider Merino. Already in the decisive moments, Merino finally ended up distancing herself from the Murcian woman from Río Miera, who was on the verge of repeating the medal.
“The race has been very tough and the proof is that in the first third there were barely 30 'alive' runners left. Later, after the departure of Mavi and Ane, Movistar was the majority in the group and they carried the weight until Eider and I started. With 4 to go he let me go in the middle of the climb and I couldn't hook up. During the race, above all, I performed better than I expected on the cobblestones, and positioning myself well helped me catch the cuts.
Then, in the end, I was counting on Eider to be able to beat me because she is a bigger climber than me. Even so, I think I have been where I should have been and I am very happy, and the team has been very supportive. They have worked well from the beginning with Elena's escape, and then several teammates have been ahead. Even though I haven’t reached the podium, I have always really liked chocolate.”
CLASSIFICATION
1. Mavi García (Alé BTC Ljubljana) 2h53'21”
2. Ane Santesteban (WTN-Rotor) at 2'11”
3. Eider Merino (Movistar Team) at 3'50”
4. Irene Méndez (Río Miera-Meruelo-Cantabria) at 4'10”
12. Susana Pérez (Río Miera-Cantabria Deporte) at 11'23”
17. Aida Nuño (Río Miera-Cantabria Deporte) at 12'08”
18. Elena Pérez (Río Miera-Cantabria Deporte) at 12'29”
