Ontur and Fubine, two races where to make a mark
Double front for the U23 team of the Contador Foundation this Sunday with the return of the Spanish Cup and a new edition of an Italian race certainly very young but with many possibilities for the future. The classic Gran Premio Primavera de Ontur, in Albacete, and the Trofeo Fubine Porta del Monferrato will count on the participation of the development structure of the EOLO-KOMETA Cycling Team, in a new concretion of its Spanish-Italian duality.
The first commitment comes in Castilla-La Mancha of the Gran Premio Primavera that recovers the pulse of the Spanish Cup after the suspension, for reasons beyond the organization, of the Aiztondo Klasika that had to have been celebrated a fortnight ago. Fran Muñoz won in Ontur a year ago, and Ramón Fernández and Pablo Uría will also repeat in the team. Arnau Gilabert, Sebastiano Minoia and Gabriele Raccagni complete the roster.
The course, however, will be slightly different in its final part. After the introduction of a circuit, the Cañá circuit, with some steep slopes that give it room for uncertainty, the five stages of 2022 have become three. “It’s a very interesting change, because in the end five laps allowed the strongest teams to maintain enough control”, says Haimar Extxeberria, who returns to the competition after a week’s break. “After the crash in the Guerrita Trophy I had some problems in one of my knees, but we are training well again, recovered, and I will face Ontur with a lot of desire and a lot of motivation. The team is looking forward to doing well, to be as far ahead as possible and to fight for the win”.
The fourth edition of the Trofeo Fubine Porta del Monferrato also faces changes in the proposed route. This Piedmontese event, in which the EOLO-KOMETA Cycling Team was already present last season, is held on a semi-urban circuit that is still being polished and in which improvements and small ambushes are still being implemented to provide wear and tear and to encourage the selection.
In 2023, the route will grow to 13 kilometres and eleven turns will have to be completed, but the main climb, the one leading to the finish line, remains a major difficulty: a one-kilometre climb with gradients of 10%. Edoardo Alleva, Luca Bagnara, brothers Gabriele and Tommaso Bessega, Antonio González, Raúl López and Andrea Montoli will be the riders competing against the best of the Italian peloton in the category.
“We’re taking a very good team to the race, so we’ll see what we can do. It’s a race I took part in last year and I liked it very much because of the alternation of not particularly long climbs and broken terrain. There are two or three important climbs per lap and you can make a great selection. Personally, I arrive after two weeks of hard work and I’m looking forward to doing a great job together with my team-mates”.
Gran Premio Primavera / Coppa di Spagna U23 Elite.
Ontur – Ontur (166 km).
IV Trofeo Fubine Porta del Monferrato.
Fubine – Fubine (141,9 km).
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