CYCLING – PAUL Miquel made it two podiums in a row for Team Bahrain Victorious in Spain yesterday, sprinting to second place at the third Ruta de la Ceramica – GP Castellon, making for a sensational debut in the team’s jersey.
It was not the first time on the course for the Spanish rider, who had finished seventh two years ago. The 171.7-kilometre route from Castellon to Onda in Valencia featured a hilly parcour with 2,374 metres of elevation gain and three categorised climbs. Despite the demanding profile, the finale was well suited to fast riders.
Miquel’s podium finish comes just a day after Antonio Tiberi claimed the first podium of the season for Victorious, on Friday, sprinting to third place in the second Clàssica Camp de Morvedre in Spain.
As expected, yesterday’s breakaway – a six-man group – was reeled in after the first passage through the finish line, and the one-day race came alive in the final 20km, with the last climb further thinning out the peloton.
Near the summit of the Collado de Ayodar, four strong riders attacked, including Antonio Morgado of UAE Team Emirates, Christian Scaroni and teammate Guillermo Thomas Silva from XDS Astana, and Hector Alvarez of the Spanish national team). The quartet opened a small gap, but not enough to prevent a sprint finish from a stretched, reduced peloton.
Michael Matthews of Jayco Al Ula then launched the sprint and confirmed himself as one of the day’s favourites with a powerful victory on the finish line in Onda. Miquel came close in second place ahead of Lukas Kubis of Unibet Rose Rockets in third.
The 25-year-old commented on his first podium with Bahrain Victorious: “It’s a good start to the season. It’s not a win, but it’s a close one. This result is all thanks to my teammates; the work they did to close the dangerous gap just before the finish was amazing.
“My feelings during the race were really good, and I’m very happy. Above all, I’m grateful for the trust the team has put in me. I’m happy with the whole day and already looking forward to the next races. Now, I’m aiming for a win.”
Bahrain Victorious sports director Gorazd Stangelj said of the team’s performance: “As last year, we knew the race would be decided on the last climb, so our focus was on that section of the course and on protecting our key riders Pau, Vlad Van Mechelen, and Alec Segaert. Their task was to get over the climb and be present in the finale to support Pau.
“Everything went as planned. Only Vlad had to close a gap, otherwise he could have achieved a good result as well. The team worked perfectly, allowing the three key riders to save energy and perform excellently in the finale, especially Pau.”
Miquel will be back at the start line today for the 42nd Classica Comunitat Valenciana 1969, from La Nucia to Valencia across 199.5km, where a bunch sprint is expected.
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