Weekend's round-up
Aude (18th) into late breakaway over last two laps in Glasgow, where Bastianelli (ITA) triumphed. Eider completes fantastic race in Tafalla (2nd), goes on with great fight in Sopela (5th, second elite competitor).
Marta Bastianelli stormed to victory into a selected field’s sprint at the end of the women’s 2018 European Championships road race, over nine laps (130km) of an entirely urban course in Glasgow (Scotland, GB). The Italian evaded enormous pressure at all fronts from the Dutch national team, which made all main moves – including a late attack which was really close to taking Aude Biannic (Movistar Team) into the fight for the medals.
#Glasgow2018 @audebiannic ya es cabeza de carrera y cuenta con nada menos que 40" sobre un grupo donde tira ITA y una GER que no tiene representación en el quinteto. Solo 11 km para meta. #AllezAude!! pic.twitter.com/VU86HqP7Ix
— Movistar Team (@Movistar_Team) August 5, 2018
The Brittany native, an essential member of her national squad as recently-crowned French champion, jumped across with 15km left -in company of Floortje Mackaij (NED)- in pursuit of a dangerous trio including Dani Rowe (GBR), Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA) and Anna Van der Breggen (NED). Despite the breakaway reaching a crucial 40″ gap, efforts at the bunch from Italy, Germany and most notably the Netherlands to seek for a sprint finish kept Aude from chasing a big result -she still finished 18th-. Behind Biannic, and staying with the main field until the last two laps, also completed the race Alba Teruel (42nd) and Alicia González (61st).
#EuroRoad18 – What a sprint Marta! pic.twitter.com/OTL8NZY0KE
— UEC_cycling (@UEC_cycling) August 5, 2018
Merino comes back strong after excellent July
Back to home racing, the Movistar Team snatched two more podium finishes this weekend at events from the Basque Federation’s Euskaldun trophy, held in Tafalla (Saturday) and Sopela (Sunday). At the former in Navarra (100km), and under sorching heat, Eider Merino -brilliant eighth-place GC finisher in the Giro Rosa- was 2nd behind Sara Martín (SWT), staying with the selected group through the most prominent climb to Artajona. Few hours later, the Spanish road race champion took 5th -second elite competitor- at the 93km event held in Bizkaia, won by Sofía Rodríguez (SWT).
