Dylan Groenewegen and Ion Izagirre celebrate at final day of Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
Feb 11 2019 06:44 am CET
Photo by ASO/A.Broadway
Jumbo-Visma's Dylan Groenewegen has taken the victory at the last stage of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana. The rider outsprinted Alexander Kristoff and Matteo Trentin.
The last day of the Spanish race was 88 kilometres long from Paterna to Valencia and featured a city circuit with a final at the City Hall of the city. The escape of the day was formed in the first 12 kilometres of the stage and was caught in the penultimate lap of the circuit by a peloton led by a motivated Jumbo-Visma.
A compact peloton rode the last lap on the streets of Valencia and everything was ready for a bunch sprint. But at three kilometres from the end, there was a crash in the bunch that left some teams without possibilities for the final and left injured riders like Peñalver and Noppe.
Jumbo-Visma's Dylan Groenewegen seemed to be in a bad position at the end of the last curve as Matteo Trentin and Alexander Kristoff launched their sprints, but the Dutchman proved to have the same good form he showed last season and raised his arms at the end of the day.
"This is a victory for the entire team", Groenewegen commented. "It was a tough final with many corners and the pace was very high. In the last corner I had to come from too far back, but by jumping from wheel to wheel, I managed to claim the victory.
"The team did a great job the entire day by controlling the race and I'm glad I finished it off. For me, this victory is very important. It gives confidence to the races that are yet to come. Today was a moment to do so. Not only is it my first win of the season, but also the first for the team under the new name. I am very happy."
Astana's Ion Izagirre arrived with the peloton and confirmed his overall victory. "I am super happy with this victory, but I have to say that this is the team’s success, not only mine," said the Spaniard at the end of the race.
"We rode this race very well as a team and in every moment I had great support from my teammates. We’ve got almost maximum in this race with my victory, the third place of Pello Bilbao and a win in the team classification. Fantastic! I started this season with a goal to win at least one race and already here in Valencia I’ve got it. It is something special for me to win in Astana jersey, I am proud of it!"
Movistar's Alejandro Valverde and Astana's Pello Bilbao stepped on the second and third positions of the final podium.
SUBSCRIBE TO RSS FEEDS