MADRID 30 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish Ciclocross team faces from Friday to Sunday the world championship in Liévin (France), quotes which arrives headed by Alicante Felipe Orts that will try to demonstrate its progression, although the podium options are complicated by the level of the level of Participation led by Dutch Mathieu van der Poel and the Belgian Waut van Aert.
The national team goes to the French town of Liévin with the aim of fighting for the rainbow jersey under the direction of the new national coach, Javier Ruiz de Larrinaga, who has summoned 15 athletes from the elite, Sub-23 and Júnior categories.
The aspect of the circuit will depend on the climatic conditions that occur these days, although the forecast for the weekend is not to rain. According to the RFEC, the tour of the test, carried out by the local organization, “very fast and that will depend on how it stays after these rainy days, although the forecast for the weekend is that it does not rain,” he warned Ruiz de Larrinaga on the RFF website.
In the male elite test, Alicante Felipe Orts, current runner -up in Europe, will try to show its good form of form and try to rub shoulders with the big names of this sport, although it will have complicated to repeat its success a few months ago in Pontevedra.
“This is a World Cup and everyone comes at their best, but we have to fully trust Felipe for everything he is giving us. What is best for the technical circuits and has a very demanding season on top of it, doing Podium already very soon in Pontevedra, but we know what he is capable and we trust that he achieves a great result, “said Ruiz de Larrinaga.
Orts arrives in Liévin after in the last world championship signed his best result, a tenth place. From there he has been improving and growing, and a few weeks ago he was sixth in the Benidorm World Cup test, while he was fourteenth and fifteenth in the last two of Hoogerheide (Netherlands) and Maasmechelen (Belgium).
Next to the current champion of Spain will be the Galician Kevin Suárez and the Asturian Mario Junquera for a race where favoritism falls on the Dutch Matthieu van der Poel, undefeated this year in his seven races and who aspires to his seventh world title and match the record of the Belgian Roger of Vlaeminck. A compatriot of this, Wout van Aert, will try to prevent him with his fourth rainbow, the first since 2018, although his status is not as good as that of his rival and in his selection there are other buzas such as Thibau Nys and Michael Vanthourenhout.
With respect to the women’s elite race, the Spanish representation will fall into the hands of Sofía Rodríguez, new national champion, Lucía González and Sara Cueto. “Sofia is finishing the season well, the Spanish championship has given him a plus of trust and it shows. Lucia has been going through some problems, but we know the experience she has, and Sara has done a great job this year that she looks rewarded With this World Cup, “said the coach.
The test is marked by the decline of the Dutch Marianne Vos, so a duel is glimpsed between two other corridors from the Netherlands such as the current champion, fem van Empel, and the veteran of 35 years Lucinda Brand.
These two tests will be the weekend, while the World Cup will start this Friday with the ‘Team Relay’ test where Spain will want to do it well. “I have always been a supporter of competing in the ‘Team Relay’, while I would not go much cyclists’ plans. I talked to them, everyone was predisposed to participate and I think we can get a good result. Being fighting for the medals would be very Nice, “Larrinaga said.
In addition, in the Junior male test one of the best buzas appears so that the Spanish team can climb to the podium in Liévin since Benjamín Noval, son of the exciclista who ran in the US Postal, the Astana or the saxon with corridors such as Lance Armstrong And Alberto Contador, has confirmed in his first year in the category to be one of the best in the world.