Juanpe Lpez, the 'beautiful boy' of Australia

“What do you think is more painful for my legs, the sunburn or the wheel of @richie_porte and @kennyelissonde?”, Asked Juan Pedro Lpez on the social network Twitter accompanying this picture.

Among the ludpatas of the balls and the drums, the number 15 is the 'pretty girl'. In the case of the race you give the Great season of the 2020 cycling season, the Tour Down Under, 15 is going to be the Nio Bonito, that is, Juan Pedro Lpez (Lebrija, 22 years old) during his debut with Trek-Segafredo.

He is already a WorldTour professional. He wore the shirt of the North American first division team last summer, which proved him as a fellow or 'stagiaire' for races like the Utah tour. And as expected, a contract is won.

Juanpe, a complete climber, has been talking for a long time on the stove of cycling and is always praised as premium raw material. The chefs who have prepared the first exquisite dish are the technicians of the Accountant Foundation, proud in a very special way, because they have already promoted several cyclists to the WorldTour, but none like the Sevillian, because it is '100% Iberian race' of the team.

The Trek-Segafredo corridor was selected on the annual campus who come with fear and illusion a few dozen boys aged 15 16. They caught him for the junior team. And from there, to all the categories of the Contador Foundation, Sub23 and, a year and a half ago, the professional team. Skipping all deadlines with the strength of his legs. Mid-season 2019, the aforementioned test at Trek-Segafredo. Also exceeded.

A year and a half ago, when he was promoted to the first team of the Foundation, then Polartec-Kometa (today Kometa-Xstra), the recent winner of the Tour of Bidasoa dwells in happiness. “I dont believe it“, repeats who asked her. And, as always, taught her ambition to “run someday on a WorldTour team”. A year later he is dressed in the Trek-Segafredo jersey.

“It is not a runner who will go unnoticed in professionalism”, predicts and predicts the general director of Kometa, Fran Contador. In 2020, with the necessary calm and a team in which champions like Vincenzo Nibali and stars like Richie porte or the world champion in exercise, the 24-year-old dans Mads Pedersen. These last two will participate in the Tour Down Under with the Sevillian and will debut this Sunday in Adelaide, in the critrium prior to the stage race to start on Tuesday, among some bleak landscapes that have left the fires in the oceanic country. “Although honestly what hurts me the most is to see so many kilometers devastated by the fires. All my support for Australia“, Juanpe's tweet that we quoted at the beginning of this article ended.

TOUR DOWN UNDER. HOW TO USE

The Australian race was created 22 years ago and its growth has been unstoppable. Those who know her praise her perfect organization. As an element, one of its differentiating elements has a critrium attached – this Sunday – in which almost everyone who will later participate in the stage race will participate.

I won it last year Caleb Ewan, who repeats in front of the Lotto and seek reedicin in front of Elia Viviani (Cofidis), Sam Bennet (Deceuninck), Andre Greipel (Israel Start Up Nation), Jasper Philipsen (UAE) or Jacomo Nizzolo (NTT)

Another almost pioneering aspect of the Tour Down Under is the adoption of a female career since 2012, first as a series of critriums and since 2015 as a four-stage race that already has the WorldTour label. In the second stage played on Friday won one of the greats of the circuit, Amanda Spratt, which rose with the provisional leadership.

On Tuesday begin the male queen test with their six stages more than known, three clearly flat for sprinters (Monday, Thursday and Saturday), a mixed one – Wednesday – and those that end with short and explosive ports, on Thursday and Sunday 26 in Paracombe and Willunga Hill. Mileages range between 130 and 152 km.

The South African Dary Impey (Mitchelton-Scott) has won the last two editions and has the dorsal number 1. His companion appears in the list Simon Yates, Richie Porte (winner in 2017), Romain BardetThomas de Gendt Rohan Dennis, Diego Ulissi or George Bennet. The Spanish are Juanpe Lpez, Fran Ventoso, Luis Len Snchez, Omar Fraile, Jorge Arcas, Llus Mas, Edu Prades, Sergio Samitier and Rafael Valls.

To see the race in Europe you have to get up early (scheduled arrivals between 4.30 and 6.00 in the morning GMT) and connect to the Global Cycling Network channel.