Edu Pérez-Landaluce wins the queen stage of the Vuelta a Zamora and finishes second in the final general classification
38º Vuelta a Zamora
Etapa 4: Camarzana – Lubián (117,7 km)
Edu Pérez-Landaluce from Asturias won the last stage of the Vuelta a Zamora, the queen day, after arriving in Lubián with Eugenio Sánchez, who won the final overall of the Zamora race, a classification in which the rider from Oviedo finished second. It is the fourth victory of the season for the Contador Foundation structure.
Pérez-Landaluce and Sánchez were two of the twenty riders who were integrated, in the first thirty-five kilometres, in a large breakaway that, with a very good understanding, managed the initial part of the flat and also the climb to the Portilla del Padornelo. Also in the breakaway was José Luis Medina from Cádiz on behalf of the Fundación’s U23 team. The main peloton was more than a minute and a half behind.
The arrival of the hardest passes selected the breakaway. Of the twenty or so men, eight resisted, among them Pérez-Landaluce, who always opted to go at his own pace without being overburdened by other riders’ accelerations. In the summit of Ladiairo, where four men would remain in command, he passed second. At Marabón, the last mountain pass of the race, he went on the attack and went solo, although he was finally caught by Eugenio Sánchez while Victor Etxeberria was twenty seconds behind.
Eduardo Pérez-Landaluce: “A very important victory, which makes me very happy. We come from a very hard season, last year, which for all of us of my age was our last year as U23 riders. Because of the pandemic, as you know, many races were suspended. And with the suspensions there were many fewer opportunities, because in the end our dream is to be professionals. This year didn’t start well, I had some problems, we decided to stop with a view to these races and, judging by what we saw, it was a good decision. In Zamora I felt very good every day. In this last stage it was very fast all day, with the wind at my back. When it got tough I had a good feeling, but I knew I had to go at my own pace. At the end there were slopes of up to 21% and, no matter how fine you are, the important thing is to get your rhythm. Then Eugenio caught me, who was also going strong, and I couldn’t do much more. I would like to thank the whole team, especially Medina, who worked very hard during the whole stage”.
#VueltaZamora21 Está eufórico @edulandaluce (@FundContaTeam ) tras su victoria de etapa hoy en @Aytolubian pic.twitter.com/JSw1zE60MW
— lavueltaazamora (@lavueltaazamora) July 16, 2021
[📷 Álvaro García / Vuelta Ciclista a Zamora (1)]
