Usoa Ostolaza (Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi) is the new Spanish road champion, breaking Mavi García’s longstanding dominance of the event in a dramatic finale on the traditional circuit in San Lorenzo de El Escorial.
Ostolaza’s teammate Yurani Blanco entered the final 15km with a minute’s advantage over a small chasing group that was powered by García. The Liv-Alula-Jayco rider was seeking a fifth consecutive title – and a sixth in total – and she battled gamely to get back into contention in the finale.
García and Ostolaza caught Blanco with 1.5km remaining, and they were joined soon afterwards by Sara Martín (Movistar). The four riders fought out victory in the finale, with Ostolaza powering clear to claim the title, five seconds ahead of her teammate Blanco, while García outsprinted Martín for bronze.
“The truth is I can’t believe it,” Ostolaza said. “This is a victory for all the team because without them it wouldn’t have been possible. Often, the head is the most important element. You have to believe and then give it everything you have. My legs responded.
“We have a good team and that gave us an advantage. We played our cards very well. Thanks to Yurani’s break, I had everything in my favour. I came to the finale with strength left and I was able to win.”
Results
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