Spanish TT Championships

Murcian from Movistar Team finishes behind Basque trio led by Castroviejo (SKY); Fernández (7th), Arcas (9th) within best ten.

A lumpy race, under intense heat and featuring some tricky wind gusts put the Movistar Team to a big test against the country’s best specialists in the Spanish ITT Championships, held over 37.5 kilometers in and around Vall d’Alba (Castellón). The course saw Alejandro Valverde coming close to a podium finish after his overall success last weekend at the Route d’Occitanie.

The marvel from Murcia, 5th through the first intermediate check (13km), half a minute off eventual gold medalist Jonathan Castroviejo (SKY), limited losses into a second half suiting better his abilities, eventually finishing 1’04” behind the winner and 26″ off the podium. Rubén Fernández -seventh, 3’00” back- and Jorge Arcas -ninth, at 3’14”- also completed the race within the top ten.

Eusebio Unzué’s squad now focuses its hopes on Sunday’s road race, the Movistar Team set to compete with eleven riders: Valverde, Arcas, Barbero, Carretero, Castrillo, Erviti, De la Parte, Fernández, Pedrero, Rojas and Soler.