Majka flies in mythical land

Ávila is the land of great cyclists. The homeland of Julio Jimenez, winner of stages in the three great rounds, second in a Tour, triple king of the Mountain in France. One of the most prestigious climbers ever. It is also a land of feats. From the exhibition of Bernard Hinault in the 1983 Vuelta, on a day similar to that of this Sunday, but with Serranillos judge. The Barraco, the goal, is a separate story. Mythical territory. The town of Angel Arroyo, second in Paris, which inspired the cycling school to Victor Tailor, then nursery of great corridors like the one longed for Chava Jimenez, What Carlos Tailor, his son, winner of a Tour, as Paco Mancebo, Pablo Lastras, David Navas… In the current squad he is also Diego Rubio, who got excited when crossing the finish line. An inexhaustible quarry.

The setting, the legend, deserved a great cycling day. Or a great feat. He opted for the latter, with a brutal display by Rafal Majka, who won after 72 kilometers of solo getaway. The Pole crowned the four ports of the day in the lead. The first of them, the Centenera, in the company of Fabio Aru, who was also looking for a feat in his farewell from the professional peloton, in the same race that saw him win in 2015, just with another feat in the Central System, but then in the Sierra de Guadarrama area. The three remaining ports were furrowed in an independent gallop: Pedro Bernardo, Mijares and San Juan de Nava. It was the day of the reborn Majka, class runner.

Rafal Majka had not won since 2017, precisely when he prevailed in a great stage of the Vuelta in La Pandera, after a double pass through Valdepeñas de Jaén. A long time has passed, four years, but the Pole has always been a great cyclist, a huge climber. In his record are three victories on the Tour: Risoul and Pla d’Adet, in 2014, and Cauterets, in 2015. Always on high peaks. He has also been King of the Mountain for two years on the Champs Elysees. And podium, third, in the Spanish round. Majka greeted those old laurels at 31 in a tremendous, hot, fast day, which was played at full speed, with a start at 51.2 km / h, and which arrived at El Barraco with 45 minutes in advance on the scheduled intermediate schedule.

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Majka flew alone after leaving Aru’s company, with no threat other than his own strength. He only had the remote opposition of Steven Kruijswijk, another famous person, to whom the Jumbo gave the green light to try to win the stage. The Dutchman had initially sneaked in as a strategic asset, just like Carlos Verona did for Movistar, but then he received the team’s praise. He was never less than a minute from the hero of the day, who not only did not faint during his ride, but still reserved a smile to head down the last straight and a few tears to dedicate the triumph to his missing father. The same that Spanish cycling saves for Chava Jiménez every time he steps on El Barraco.

The roosters did not raise no far off tactic, among other things because Intermarché-Wanty, the team of the leader, took the head of the peloton in an exemplary attitude, to protect the red jersey of Odd Christian Eiking for the sixth day in a row. The attacks were limited to some final firecrackers in San Juan de Nava, which took advantage of Adam Yates to trim 15 seconds in the general classification. The race rests this Monday and moves north, where the Lakes, the Gamoniteiru, the Mos trap, the time trial, the rain await … Another turn of the screw for La Vuelta.

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