National Championships 2023 – Spain 🇪🇸 – Road Race [FULL RACE] (ladies)

June 24, 2023

National Championships 2023 – Spain – Road Race WE – San Lorenzo de El Escorial – San Lorenzo de El Escorial : 122,6 km

The Spanish National Championships are one of the biggest events in Spain and regularly draw in all kinds of riders, from those at the top of the WorldTour, to those riding for domestic amateur squads. The iconic red and gold jersey is one of the most recognisable jerseys in the sport of cycling and has seen several of the sport’s most legendary riders carry it on their shoulders. The championships were first held in 1897 and featured just one single event, an Elite Men’s Road Race. In the latter half of the 20th century the organisers began to add more events, including an Elite Women’s Road Race in 1979 and an U23 Men’s and Women’s race in 1999. Time trial events for both men and women were introduced in 1994, around about the same time that most other major European nations adopted the time trialling discipline.

Acclaimed Spanish veteran Mavi García has won her fifth Spanish National Road Race title, powering home alone for gold on the 122 kilometre course just west of Madrid.

The most successful women’s racer in the history of the Spanish Nationals, after attacking alone 26 kilometres from the line, García’s latest win sees her add yet another gold medal to her four previous National Road Race titles and four National TT victories.

As she conquered her latest triumph, García (Liv Racing TeqFind) finished a full 50 seconds ahead of Sara Martín (Movistar) and Mireia Benito (AG Insurance-Soudal QuickStep).

On a day of tough racing in the hills around the medieval town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, the fourth placed rider, Sheyla Gutierrez (Movistar) was more than five minutes down and the rest of the field even more distant.

Silver in the time trial the day before by a scant second, in the road event García made sure there were no such surprises to her ongoing dominion of Spanish nationals racing as she split the field apart on no less than three occasions.

Garcia and bronze medallist Benito, both riding without any other teammates, opted to split the race apart after just 30 kilometres, leaving roughly two dozen riders in the front group. After 50 kilometres García accelerated away from the main group, followed by Benito, with Sara Martin and her Movistar teammate Sheyla Gutierrez making it a break of four ahead. Having missed the move, Laboral Kutxa drove hard behind, and García’s matching acceleration on hearing the gap was coming down saw Gutierrez in trouble.

Shortly after the Alto de la Cruz Verde climb, García made her decisive move, going clear alone. While Gutierrez was quickly dropped, Martín and Benito continued to drive behind, managing to keep the gap at roughly 30 seconds for much of the finale.

But García was clearly in no mood for company and a final drive on the uphill, cobbled finish into San Lorenzo allowed her to almost double her advantage. While García claimed her fifth Road Race title of her career and fourth in a row, first year pro. Eneritz Vadillo (Laboral Kutxa) clinched the U-23 title by finishing in eighth place – at 18, a result that promises more than well for the future.

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