The day did not start at La Vuelta with the best news, since Kern Pharma Team announced this Thursday morning death of the emblematic Manolo Azcona at the age of 71 years.
In 1993 Azcona was the founder of the Galibier Sports Associationthe structure that saw the birth of the successful Lizarte development team (now Finisher Team) and which later gave continuity to professionalism as Kern Pharma Team. “The architect of our project, who has dedicated himself to cycling for more than 30 years, making it possible for more than 70 of his students to realize their dream of becoming professionals,” according to his team’s statement .
A statement in which it was emphasized that “his enormous personality, his determined character and his commitment to his people did not leave anyone indifferent. Manolo is, above all, a reference for all those who went through the AD Galibier range, from the beginning incl ACR Constructions – MRA in the successful and happy years with Lizarte, without forgetting the stage of transition and teachings from the hand of Sky Blue, Tegui Video Intercoms, Bodegas Castillo de Monjardín and Gráficas Ona. An indispensable support for runners and someone in whom sponsors always have blind faith. If Manolo believed in something, everyone internalized that idea and fought for it to the end. His dedication and way of understanding cycling made him an important pillar for everyone around him. Because above the cyclist, director or mechanic, for Manolo the person always comes first.”
In the peloton of La Vuelta 24, Richard Carapaz, Marc Soler, Roger Adrià, Jorge Arcas, Oscar Rodríguez, Antonio Soto, José Felix Parra, Ibon Ruiz, Pau Miquel and Pablo Castrillo They went through Team Lizarte.
It is in his memory that a minute of silence is dedicated before the start of this 12th stage on the way to Manzaneda Mountain Station.
“I have been very happy working on this story,” expressed Manolo Azcona on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of AD Galibier.
This is an edition of La Vuelta where the cyclists of the pharmaceutical team have been the stars every day in the Spanish round, and now, in the 12th stage, three riders from the break of the day, Marc Soler, Óscar Rodríguez and Pablo Castrillothey went through the Lizarte Team, a training team of the Galibier Sports Association, which is the germ of currently Kern Pharma Team.
Source: La Verdad
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