After a presentation marked by rain, Alcaraz woke up dressed to the nines and with the enthusiasm of someone facing a historic day. There, at the foot of the Albacete mountain range, more than 700 runners They dressed in shorts ready to walk some trails that, in the end, would end up crowning the national champions of each of the categories.
In a route of 120 kilometers, 93 in the case of the women, the slopes were the main protagonists during a tour in which the participants rode through some natural places such as the ‘Cordel de las Almenaras’, the Pico Muleto, the Microreserve of La Molata and the Batanes, La Vía Verde or the Laguna del Arquillo.
The men’s event began at 9:00with a route of 120 kilometers through the Sierra de Alcaraz. During the first stages, about 40 cyclists advanced in a compact group. It was on the climb to Carboneras, the second technical point of the day, when the race began to break down. From there, The platoon was reduced until, passing through Masegosothey just stayed in the lead David Valero, Alberto Barroso, Raúl Rodríguez, Luis Francisco Pérez, Aniol Morell, Raúl López and Francisco Crespí.
The runners, during one of the gravel sections.
Selective career
After 12:15 in the morning, and signing a time of 3:03:32, Natalia Fischerfrom Extremadura Ecopilas, She crossed the finish line to be crowned champion of Spain. Her triumph was not a simple victory, it was an exhibition of what a Gravel racer has to be. Thanks to this performance, he was more than eight minutes ahead of Lidia Castrosecond classified. The podium was completed Marta Beti Pérez.
Natalia Fischer celebrates the victory.
While the women celebrated their arrival, David Valero and Alberto Barrosoformer teammates last year, headed down the finish line ready to fight in a duel to decide the wearer of the long-awaited red and yellow jersey. In an agonizing sprint, the strongest was the Scott-Cala Bandidawhich sealed a very important victory against an Olympic XCO medalist. Raul Rodriguezfrom Extremadura Ecopilas, closed the podium 55 seconds behind the leading duo and Felipe Orts, tenth, reached 4’27”.
Alberto Barroso celebrates the victory at the finish line.
In the other men’s categories, Raul Lopezwho crossed in sixth position, was proclaimed junior champion. For its part, Francisco Crespí won the national under-23 title. In the master’s degree, the winners were Amadeo Ferrer (30A), Antonio Ramos (30B), Óscar Valdepeñas (40A), Juan Lucas (40B), Diego Álvarez (50A), Manuel Beltrán (50B), Mario Fernández (60A) and Abelardo Martínez (60B).
In the female category, Lydia Ruiz took the win in master 30A, while Cristina Barrajón won in 30B. Belén López won in 40A and María Esther Maqueta in 40B. Finally, Natalie Turjanicova was the winner in 50A and Nuria Lauco in 50B.
Tomorrow, turn for the MTB
The Sunday MTB session is already a classic. With the aim of discovering areas and paths along the Sierra del Segura, the organization has prepared a route that will be full of attractions.
The departure is in the direction of La Mesta along the AB-5029 road, linking with the Cañada Masegosa track to Cordel de la Almenara, passing through the Refugio Lagarto. The ascent culminates in the Collado del Prado de la Cumbre (1,460 m), after 19 km mostly uphill.
The final stretch, 16 km long and with a favorable profile, crosses places such as Corral de Cañadalengua and El Ojuelo, and includes the last path of PR-AB-022 to Vianos. From there, a descent through El Puerto leads to the finish line, with views of Alcaraz before crossing the finish line.