Crashes and punctures mark the presence of the young Kometa in the Europeans of Alkmaar

European Cycling 2019
Alkmaar (Netherlands): 115 km

Neither Raúl García, Carlos Rodríguez nor Javier Serrano, the three cyclists of the Kometa Cycling Team Junior, members of the Spanish team that took part this Friday in the youth route race of the European Championships, enjoyed enough fortune to be able to set up an outstanding performance in Alkmaar.

A succession of punctures and falls in a circuit not especially ideal for Spanish riders have ended up conditioning the participation of the selection. The appearance of rain and wind have done the rest.

Raul García, Javier Serrano and Carlos Rodríguez, as well as Igor Arrieta and Juan Ayuso (ultimately the best classified of the team, eleventh on the finish line) endured very well in the main group until the arrival, halfway through the test, five turns to the end, a series of setbacks.

García suffered a fall, to be involved in a hook, which delayed him with respect to the race head, a circumstance that was aggravated with a double change of bicycle that he had to tackle. Rodriguez, for his part, was left without options to fight for the medals as a result of a puncture.

Finally, neither García, nor Rodríguez nor Serrano would manage to finish the race, taken from it by the stewards when they were riding in a chasing pack more than seven minutes from the head of the race.