ANDThe Madrid municipality of Gapalagar hosts the Spanish Elite and Sub23 Road Cycling Championship 2024, which starts this Friday with the time trial titles. They will meet some of the great specialists against the clock in the UCI elite category, among which the presence of the champion of the modality in 2022, Raúl García Pierna, stands out (Arkea-B&B Hotels) and that of the runner-up in the last two editions, Oier Lazkano (Movistar Team), which after its spectacular year and its last start on the goat (5th in the Dauphiné CRI) stands as the great favorite.
The men’s elite time trial will be the last to be held on Friday, with the first runner starting at 12:30 p.m. All the time trials on Friday will take place on the same 33.4 km route and 380 meters of accumulated elevation gain, with departure and arrival in the town of Galapagar; an ideal route for specialists and high-powered cyclists, who after a few favorable first kilometers in which they will reach Colmenarejo and Valdemorillo, will arrive at San Lorenzo de El Escorial to face a section that climbs continuously upwards and that can be key in the final outcome. The last kilometers of the time trial, already within the municipality of Galapagar, will include two slopes that, with punishment on the legs, can be decisive.
Oier Lazkano is the top favorite for the title after caressing the national crown in the last two editions, in which it has finished second. Only three seconds separated Lazkano in 2023 from Jonathan Castroviejo, absent this year. Fifth just over ten days ago in the Dauphiné time trial, the Basque has shown that he has a world-class pedal stroke in his legs, being only surpassed by some of the best specialists in the world such as Remco Evenepoel, Joshua Tarling or Primoz Roglic.
Another of the great candidates for victory will once again be the champion of Spain in 2022 Raúl García Pierna (Arkea-B&B Hotels), who last year could not be in the fight for the podium due to a mechanical problem. The very young man will also be there Iván Romeo, who at only 20 years old has already established himself as one of the best riders in the national peloton, capable of being 4th in the sub-23 time trial of the last European Championship or 15th in the World Championship.
The cyclists of Q36.5, Xabier Mikel Azparren and David de la Cruz also emerge as two of the men to follow in the timed modality. Azparren, 5th in 2023, has already demonstrated his rolling ability against the clock in recent years; and David de la Cruz goes to Galapagar after showing great legs in the Tour of Switzerland, where he was eighth in the time trial of the last stage.
It is also worth highlighting the presence of Urko Berrade (Kern Pharma) sixth last year in the national or his teammate Pablo Castrillo, which is having a superb course and which in 2023 was already 9th. Albert Torres (Movistar), Víctor de la Parte and Enekoitz Azparren (Euskaltel Euskadi), Abel Balderstone (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), the 18-year-old talent Markel Beloki (Education First), or the brand new third place finisher of the Giro Next Gen, Pau Martí (Israel Premier tech), should be other cyclists to follow.
