Ropero and García, new top-ten of Polartec-Kometa in a general to finish the course

XVII Volta a Galicia
Stage 4: Monforte-Monforte (145.5 km)

The cycling season ended for the Polartec-Kometa sub23, the last of the formations supported by the Alberto Contador Foundation that maintained competitive commitments, with an outstanding participation in the Volta a Galicia where it was in the fight for the general and maintained presence in the race from the first to the last day.

Alejandro Ropero from Granada and Carlos García from Madrid finished within the top ten of a final general in which the Cantabrian Sergio Vega (Froiz) won, head of a podium entirely occupied by the Galician team given the second and third place of their runners Martín Lestido and Iván Martínez.

Ropero finished eighth, 16 seconds behind Vega and García, at the same time, finished tenth. Precisely the Andalusian rider got involved again in the fight for the last stage, when he was working in favour of the options of a José Antonio García who was harmed by an inopportune mechanical breakdown that prevented him from competing in the sprint with which the final day was resolved. A busy final day where Joan Martí Bennassar again let himself be seen with an attack in the last kilometers.

Ropero finished third: “I tried to get in front, as best as possible, and José’s breakdown took away our options to race. In the end I got in there and ended up scratching this third place. Its failure has been a pity. We’ve already closed the season and we’re starting to look sideways at next year”.

Rafa Diaz Justo, director: “We arrived at the end of the course. The truth is that I’m delighted with the commitment of the kids. The quality of this human group is incredible. That they are at this time of year with that desire is wonderful. From the Volta to Galicia we leave happy, in line with a very important year where, I think, we have taken a step forward. At team level, collective, has been our best year: we have managed to be in all the races by stages disputing the generals, winning two and a challenge, we have been disputing the Copa de España from minute 0 and achieving a victory … Between injuries and casualties we have spent the season with nine or ten riders, of which four were youthful just passed the category. That gives us a lot of hope for the future. And we’re still working.

(automatic translation, sorry for mistakes)