A priori little will shine for Spanish cycling this year in Italy is spinning. In the absence of a list of cyclists who will actually compete in 107th edition of the ‘Corsa Rosa’there are only three Spanish cyclists pre-registered: Juan Pedro López, Rubén Fernández and Pelayo Sánchez; the worst number in years.
Three cyclists who were not destined to have a prominent role in the future of the Giro d’Italia. For Pelayo Sánchez (Movistar Team, 24 years old) It was his first appearance at the Giro d’Italia and his first appearance at a three-week cycling grand tour that wasn’t The return, where he fought last year (23rd) and 2021 (84th). With 24 days of competition under his belt this season, the Tellego corridor (Asturias) is finalizing its set-up for the ‘Corsa Rosa’ starting this Friday at Return to Asturias.
The Murcian is more experienced Rubén Fernández (Cofidis, 33 years old)with two appearances in the ‘Corsa Rosa’, the last in 2018. In this season Rubén competed for 30 days and his last race was the Liège-Bastogne-Liègeand from there it goes directly to the first three-week cycling grand tour of the season.
You have more options for success Juan Pedro Lópe (26 years old). The corridor of Lidl-Trek will face the landing in the race that knocked him out after winning brilliantly at Touring the Alps and after the great sensation he left on his debut in the ‘Corsa Rosa’ in 2022. Not because he finished tenth, but because he was on the verge of victory in the stage of Etna (2nd), which allowed him to wear the ‘pink jersey’, leading from day 4 to 13, also being the best young man in the race.
The worst presence in years
With only three representatives this year at the Giro d’Italia, Spanish cycling is on the decline in Italy. Suffice it to point out that in 2023 there are seven national runners (Luis León Sánchez, Jonathan Lastra, Carlos Verona, Óscar Rodríguez and Albert Torres), which in 2022 will be eleven (Pello Bilbao, Mikel Landa, Alejandro Valverde, Sergio Samitier, Juanpe López, David de la Cruz, Jorge Arcas, José Joaquín Rojas, Antonio Pedrero, Jonathan Castroviejo and Oier Lazkano), ten in 2021 (Castroviejo, Pello Bilbao, Gorka Izagirre, Marc Soler, Mikel Landa, Albert Torres, Rafa Valls, Antonio Pedrero, Mikel Nieve and ‘Luisle’) and nine in 2020 (Pello Bilbao, Castroviejo, Rodríguez, Carretero, Pedrero, Samitier, Navarro, Torres and De la Parte).
A faint presence that surprises even the former cyclist Eduardo Chozascycling analyst at MD and commentator at Eurosport: “It is surprising that there are so few registered Spanish cyclists and even worrying, because of the three great cycling tours the Giro d’Italia is the most open of them all.”
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
