Emakumeen Nafarroako Klasikoa
The young Australian completes a solo ride of more than 30 km to prevail in Irurzun, the place where the current ‘telephone’ structure was born, and give the ‘blues’ their 15th success of the year.
Don’t let the streak stop! The Movistar Team had to wait just five days and two races to continue increasing its enviable record in 2022 with a new victory, the fifteenth of the course, by one of the best promises in the international squad. Sarah Gigante prevailed this Tuesday in the hot and demanding Emakumeen Nafarroako Klasikoa, the first of the Navarre women’s classics, after a sensational attack in the final stretch of 139 km -with eight scoring ports- around Irurtzun, the cradle, almost five decades of the current telephone structure.
Not even a fall when he was already in the final selection prevented the very young (21-year-old) Australian from Melbourne from jumping out of a group of nine cyclists on the Saldías descent, 35 km from the finish, where his partner Paula Patiño was also riding. The Colombian, in the end, a deserved 3rd, dried up all the attacks from behind while ‘Gigi’ built an ever-increasing advantage, which ended up being 2’30” at the finish line. The initial work of Lourdes Oyarbide, Sheyla Gutiérrez -entering the first breakaways-, Sara Martín -great effort in the lead- and Katrine Aalerud all propelled those of Sebastián Unzué and Jorge Sanz to this new success.
Comments / Sarah Gigante:
“An incredible day. I am in shock. In the morning I couldn’t even imagine that I could achieve this victory, it’s crazy. He had never been top-ten in a race in Europe; that the first top-ten is a victory is incredible. The whole team has been sensational. Paula, of course, with that 3rd place, but above all with a phenomenal job so that none of the attacks behind her opened a gap. All the support of Sheyla, Lourdes, Katrine and Sara; the staff, who always go out of their way for us… I don’t want to forget anyone because they are a wonderful team. I have loved the tour; thanks to the organisers for designing this type of track, just the kind of hilly course I love. Not even in my dreams could I imagine a day like this, and now I just want to enjoy this moment and the victory”.
