Second victory of the season for Gloria

Local hero from Movistar Team completes yet another solo exhibition in her home region, leaving nine-woman decisive break behind at La Fuensanta climb; Telefónica-backed squad obtains third win in 2018.

It’s been a weekend with plenty of good news for the women’s Movistar Team, mostly for a hard-working rider of enormous potential: Gloria Rodríguez. The 26-year-old Spaniard duplicated her share of success, started just 24 hours ago at the Trofeo Roldán, with another solo attack to victory in the 1st Vuelta a Murcia Féminas, held on Sunday over 84km in the outskirts of the region’s capital, and up the Alto de La Fuensanta into its final loop.

Rodríguez, present at this race again together with Alba Teruel (11th today) and Eider Merino (13th), joined a decisive break of nine riders which included two Bizkaia Durango members -Lucía González and Alice Maria Arzuffi- and another duo from the Sopela Women’s Team, with Ariadna Trias and Beatriu Gómez. The attack, which built a massive, four-minute gap before the foot of La Fuensanta, was the perfect position for Gloria to take advantage of the second half of the climb, easier than the steep start, and use her strength to leave all rivals behind. Rodríguez came to the finish solo again, ahead of Arzuffi and Gómez.

Gloria thus obtains the 3rd win of the season for the Movistar Team in their debut season, and gathers a well-deserved prize to her silent, always team-focused work, which makes her one of the most appreciated riders within the ranks of Jorge Sanz’s squad.

REACTION / Gloria Rodríguez:

“Before halfway through the race, we had already established that nine-rider break which contained members from all strong and most numerous teams – that’s why we easily opened a big gap and the race was all about us. At the La Fuensanta climb, Arzuffi made a big selection with her attack – which I tried to counter where it wasn’t so steep (laughs). I was able to make that move, reach the top of the climb with a good margin and then, it was all-out into the descent and until the finish. We wanted to make the race as hard as possible on the flat to be able to attack into the climb against the lighter ones, and that strategy was really effective. I wasn’t really expeting at all to win again today! It was already a big joy for me, as well as a huge surprise, to triumph in Roldán – being able to obtain a second victory is like a dream for me.”

Picture 2 (c): Vuelta a Murcia