Gema Pascual: “Mavi has had a fantastic year and has prepared this World Cup with great care”
MADRID, 27 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish men’s cycling coach, Pascual Momparler, has assured that they will have to “move the race” this Sunday in the online test of the Cycling World Championships, which are being held in Zurich (Switzerland), if they want to be in the fight for the medals.
“We will have to move the race. Slovenia, for their part, will want it to go very fast to have control and I don’t think they are going to allow there to be cuts with cyclists from the main nations, so we will see a fast race, many teams will join to it and it will be a nice spectacle,” he said in statements to the Royal Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC).
Enric Mas, Carlos Rodríguez, Pello Bilbao, Mikel Landa, Juan Ayuso, Pablo Castrillo, Alex Aranburu and Roger Adriá will be the eight runners who will face the 274-kilometer route and 4,500 meters of accumulated elevation gain.
“They really want Spain to triumph again and they are willing to give their all for whoever it is or even take a step forward and take stripes to try to make a difference. Many cyclists knew that the World Cup was going to be tough, they wanted to be here and they have prepared it with time and enthusiasm. On Sunday we will have tough rivals, but we face it with great enthusiasm,” he indicated.
Furthermore, he is convinced that “there will be a clear dominator, Tadej Pogacar, and another cyclist who may be close, Remco Evenepoel.” “Anyone who wants to win is going to have to anticipate the Slovenian’s movements so that when he jumps and catches you you are already at the head of the race. If Slovenia manages to keep the peloton compact and attack -Pogacar- with the If you intend to reach the finish line, you will only be able to choose to be on the second or third step of the podium,” he expressed.
For her part, the women’s coach, Gema Pascual, will count this Saturday, the day of the women’s online test, with Mavi García, Mireia Benito, Sara Martín, Usoa Ostoloza, Eneritz Vadillo and Paula Blasi. “We have a sensational team, very complete, Mavi has had a fantastic year and has also prepared this World Championship with great care. The circuit adapts well to the profile of the riders and I think we can do well,” he stressed.
In addition, he highlighted the difficulty of the route, 154 kilometers and 2,400 meters of accumulated positive slope. “We have seen in the two junior races that the circuit is very complicated and hard, it is going to be an elimination race and we will have to be very attentive in order to preserve our options in the final stretch of the race,” he said.
The national team will have the presence of two U-23 cyclists, Vadillo and Blasi. “They have earned their presence in the World Cup on the road. They can be of great help in the elite race and if everything goes well, fight for the top positions in the U23 category. In any case, I don’t think they will have any problem adapt to one role or the other as the career develops,” he concluded.