Team BikeExchange-Jayco will go on the hunt for stage wins as they begin their European season at the four-day Setmana Ciclista Valenciana on Thursday.
Basque climber Ane Santesteban will give the squad options on the hilly stages, while Santos Festival of Cycling winner Ruby Roseman-Gannon will make her European debut in her new team colours. Fellow Australian’s Georgia Baker and Alex Manly will also return to continental road racing after their track racing exploits.
Teniel Campbell lines-up for her second season in the WorldTour alongside Italian Arianna Fidanza, who took second place behind teammate Urška Žigart on the final stage in 2021. The experienced Nina Kessler will round out the squad in her first road race outing for the team after recently taking the Dutch beach race title.
The race gets underway with a hilly opening stage that will see the peloton tackle three categorised climbs before a downhill run to the finish line. It’s another lumpy stage on day two, but with an opportunity for the fast finishers, before Saturday’s stage three summit finish in Vistabella. The fourth and final stage features a category two climb, 30km from the line, that could make for an interesting finale.
Team BikeExchange-Jayco Line-Up:
Georgia Baker (AUS)
Teniel Campbell (TTO)
Roseman-Gannon (AUS)
Arianna Fidanza (ITA)
Nina Kessler (NED)
Alex Manly (AUS)
Ane Santesteban (SPA)
Ane Santesteban:
“I trained really hard over the winter, and I am really excited to start racing again. Also, the team, both men and women have had such good results and wins in the last races that it really motivates and inspires me.
The course for Valenciana is harder than the previous years, especially the third stage with an uphill finish that I think suits me well, and I want to take this opportunity. Also, I am sure that the team can go for a win on the sprint stages and we are all ready to fight for it.”
Alejandro Gonzalez-Tablas (Sport Director):
“The plan is to keep the momentum we have got racing in Australia with the team there. We have quite a new group for this year and this race will be important to build this group and create the good dynamics from the start.
We’ll be aiming for some stage results across all four stages, it’s a challenging course for this year but I think it suits us well and we have options for every stage.”
2022 Setmana Ciclista Valenciana – Race Details:
Thursday, 17th Feb: Stage 1, Tavernes de la Valldigna – Gandia, 114km
Friday, 18th Feb: Stage 2, Altea – Cocentaina,117km
Saturday, 19th Feb: Stage 3, Vila-Real – Vistabella del Maestrat, 135km
Sunday, 20th Feb: Stage 4 Sagunt – Valencia, 118km