It was customary in cycling that when the Vuelta reached one’s town, the “patriotic” cyclist would go ahead of the peloton to go first and receive the applause of his people. Dani Arce did the same thing today who, still not waving, had the pleasure of commanding Atapuerca for the first kilometer and a half. Once the gesture was completed, the Africans already commanded the race in the first of the five steps per finish line. And as soon as he completed the turn, Addisy Yihune attacked brutally, who won seven days ago in Lasarte. The young Ugandan Peter Maru responded well and, only by slowing down, were more athletes able to enter in the lead. Among the Spaniards, Hassaous, Mayo, Oukhelfen and Katir held on in the front group. And with them Catrofe (who has dual Spanish and Uruguayan nationality but competes for Uruguay) and Ndikumwenayo who, in a few days will have a Spanish ID but will still have to wait for the transfer from World Athletics to be able to represent Spain in international championships.
Just after kilometer four, Katir gave in, who is not a specialist in cross country and, in the lead, the best world cross rider appeared for the first time last season, the Burundian Rodrigue Kwizera who left the main peloton in ten including the two best Spaniards today : Nassim Hassaous and Abdessamad Oukhelfen. The first gave way with two laps to go and the second did so later after the brutal change of pace by the young Kenyan Levy Kibet to whom Ndikumwenayo (world leader of 3000 with 7’25”) responded at the bell. putting land in the middle with respect to Kibet, Maru and Kwizera. Pepe Ortuño’s pupil, who has been in Spain for seven years, doubled countless athletes in the last turn while Kibet tried to get closer to him. He did it with half a kilometer to go but Thierry still saved one more change to celebrate his recent nationality by achieving a prestigious victory ahead of Kibet himself and Kwizera. Fifth, and first Spanish, was Oukhelfen with Hassaous, also splendid, eighth. Carlos Mayo eleventh, Andreu Blanes, recently arrived from the world trial in Thailand, twelfth and Rober Alaiz thirteenth.
The Valencian Cárnicas Serrano won the club championship ahead of Playas de Castellón and Adidas. In girls before kilometer three we already had the two races presented. Ahead, for the victory in Atapuerca, the seven Africans plus the Italian Battocletti and, behind, for the national clubs, the best Spanish. Halfway through the race, Beatrice Chebet, the 5000 world runner-up, picked up the pace in perfect communion with Lucy Maiwa, winner seven days ago in Soria. As a result of the acceleration, the Italian stayed and, shortly after, Yasemine Can also relented. With just over one lap to go it was, once again, Chebet who put on another gear, taking Maiwa in her shadow and leaving third the winner in Lasarte a week ago, the young Purity Chepkirui. The young Kenyan (22 years old) who was world champion of cross sub 20 in Denmark and who will aspire to everything in absolute category in the next one to be played at the end of this season in Australian lands did not wait long to complete her exhibition. Maixa ended up exhausted after trying to follow Chebet and gave up second place at the feet of Chepkirui. Among the Spanish, the most outstanding was Naima Ait Alibou who, in the cross of her life, was able to beat the best national specialists. After her came Isabel Barreiro, Agueda Marqués, Irene Sánchez Escribano, Marta García Alonso and Carolina Robles. By clubs, the cat in the water was taken by Adidas ahead of Valencia and Bilbao Atletismo.