Fernando Gaviria achieved his first victory as a Movistar Team rider. He did it on the fourth day of the Vuelta a San Juan and it was with absolute superiority about Peter Sagan and Filippo Ganna, his two rivals in the final sprint. This triumph also allows him to be the leader of the general classification.
“Today we all had to see, they gave their all. Thank the team, I think they make me have a lot of fun on the bike and make me very happy at Movistar. There were difficult moments on the climb, but I’m enjoying every day. Despite the fact that my legs ache and the heat is lashing us, I am really enjoying the bike and the team. I had lost it a little years ago due to many circumstances, but today I am happy to enjoy this,” Gaviria said at the finish line in dialogue with ESPN.
The Colombian rider had not won a stage for almost a year and assured that this victory occurred because his race directors trusted him and his decisions. Movistar let him squeeze so as not to be hunted by the other packers who came further back. He left “the soul” in the last meters to beat Sagan.
“The search was that they did not enter, I was one minute away and I said on the radio: ‘guys, either we play it or wait and go to a normal sprint’. The team has let me make the decision, they are trusting me too much. I didn’t want to disappoint them, it cost me a lot, they were going to give me cramps, but I was going to finish off with my soul”, said the cyclist.
Finally, he explained the reason for his celebration when he crossed the finish line. She did it with a sign that she was communicating on the phone: “For Movistar. Since I signed the contract I knew that the first one was going to be celebrated like this”.
This Thursday, January 26, there will be a rest day in the Vuelta a San Juan and it will resume on Friday the 27th. It will be a stage of 173.7 kilometers with 4 mountain prizes.
