Roson wins as Vuelta Aragon celebrates successful return after 13 years
May 13 2018 11:59 pm CET
Photo by Movistar Team
Jaime Roson (Movistar) has won the renewed version of the Vuelta Aragon. The Spanish stage race returned to the UCI calendar after an absence of 13 years. Roson is the first winner of the race since Ruben Plaza won it back in 2005.
The Vuelta Aragon was one of the Spanish stage races that always drew many big names to the Aragon region. Leonardo Piepoli is the record holder when it comes to most GC wins, with 3 overall victories. Other victors in Aragon include Plaza and Stefano Garzelli. The rider with the most stage wins is German Erik Zabel (8), ahead of Allessandro Petacchi (7) and Mario Cipollini (6). Due to financial problems the race did not take place anymore since the 2005 edition. This year however, the organisation decided to continue with a renewed version of the race.
With Movistar as the only WorldTour team on the start list, the peloton was dominated by ProContinental teams. In the first stage this became clear when Jon Aberasturi from the Spanish ProContinental Euskadi Basque Country-Murias Taldea team won the sprint uphill in the streets of Caspe. Carlos Barbero (Movistar) finished second, ahead of Garikoitz Bravo (Euskadi Basque Country-Murias Taldea).
The second stage was flat and seemed to be an easy sprinters stage. Movistar decided otherwise. When the early break was caught with 30 km to go they pulled hard and the difference in quality and the wind caused the peloton to break. A first group of only 30 riders arrived in Zaragoza to sprint for the win. Movistar led out Barbero, but he was countered by the other remaining sprinters and finished 7th. The win was for Matteo Malucelli (Androni-Sidermec-Bottecchia), who beat Sondre Holst Enger (Israel Cycling Academy) and Jon Aberasturi to the line.
The third stage was designed to give the climbers a chance to take the GC, with the finish line on top of the Alto del Ampiru. Mikel Bizkarra (Euskadi Basque Country-Murias Taldea) turned out to be the strongest climber as he gave his Basque team the second stage win in the three-day race. Fifteen seconds later, his teammate Garikoitz Bravo finished second, ahead of Jaime Roson (Movistar). Since Bizkarra lost 21 seconds in the stage to Zaragoza, Roson took the overall victory as he succeeds Ruben Plaza as the last winner of the Vuelta Aragon.
By Siebe Kok
SUBSCRIBE TO RSS FEEDS