Two podiums in a row for Bahrain Victorious in Spain, as Pau Miquel sprinted to second place at the 3rd Ruta de la Cerámica – GP Castellón (UCI 1.1), racing for the first time in the TBV jersey.
It’s not the first time on this course for the Spanish rider, who had finished seventh here two years ago. The 171.7 km route from Castellón to Onda (Valencia) featured a hilly parcour with 2,374 metres of elevation gain and three categorised climbs: Alto de la Coma (2 km at 7.7%), Alto de la Serratella (14 km at 3.8%) and Collado de Ayódar (5 km at 4.5%). Despite the demanding profile, the finale was well suited to fast riders.
As expected, the day’s breakaway – a six-man group – was reeled in after the first passage through the finish line, and the race came alive in the final 20 kilometres, with the last climb further thinning out the peloton. Near the summit of the Collado de Ayódar, four strong riders attacked: António Morgado (UAE Team Emirates), Christian Scaroni and teammate Guillermo Thomas Silva (XDS Astana), and Héctor Álvarez (Spanish National Team). The quartet opened a small gap, but not enough to prevent a sprint finish from a stretched, reduced peloton.
Michael Matthews (Jayco AlUla) launched the sprint and confirmed himself as one of the day’s favourites with a powerful victory on the finish line in Onda. Pau Miquel came close in second place, ahead of Lukas Kubiš (Unibet Rose Rockets) in third.
Bahrain Victorious Sports Director Gorazd Štangelj commented on 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 Miquel, 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. He was slightly hindered by a crash in the last corner, but he still managed to finish second, beaten only by a specialist like Matthews.”
The 25-year-old Spaniard 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.”
Pau Miquel will be back at the start tomorrow for the 42nd Clàssica Comunitat Valenciana 1969, from La Nucia to Valencia (199.5 km), where a bunch sprint is expected.
