Caleb Ewan defeats strong sprint field in thrilling Castilla y Leon finish

Caleb Ewan (Jayco AlUla) claimed victory in Spain at the Vuelta Castilla y Leon. In Valladolid, he proved to have the fastest legs after a swift finale, where David Dekker also made a notable impression.

In recent years, the Castilla y Leon race had been split into two stages for the peloton, but this year it was transformed into a one-day event. The riders set off early in the afternoon from Valladolid and took a loop through the Spanish hills. After nearly two hundred kilometers and 1,462 meters of elevation gain, the peloton returned to the outskirts of the region to finish with a challenging uphill final kilometer.

The course was not mountainous, which diminished the likelihood that Eduardo Sepúlveda (Lotto Dstny) would defend his title. There was a strong field of sprinters present, featuring names like Caleb Ewan (Team Jayco AlUla), Milan Menten (Lotto Dstny), Giacomo Nizzolo (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team), Orluis Aular (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), and Max Kanter (Astana Qazaqstan Team).

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A typical scenario in a sprinters’ race

Racing in Spain, of course, means that the smaller Spanish and Portuguese teams have an opportunity to shine. This led to a distinctly Iberian-flavored breakaway group. Four Spaniards, a Portuguese, and a Frenchman (racing for a Spanish team) made up the group: Carlos García Pierna (Equipo Kern Pharma), Nicolas Alustizia, Unai Cuadrado (both Euskaltel-Euskadi), Edgar Curto (Iles Balears Arabay Cycling), José Mendes (Victoria Sports Pro Cycling Team), and Clément Alleno (Burgos-BH).

The breakaway riders were not given much leeway: the sprinters' teams kept them on a relatively tight leash, not wanting to let the opportunity in this one-day race slip through their fingers. The gap for the six never exceeded four minutes, with Garcia Pierna holding on the longest in the Spanish one-day event. With fifteen kilometers to the finish, even he had to give up, primarily due to the efforts of the UAE-Team Emirates team. They wanted to make it a tough race, but the course was not really suited for that.

Thus, a fairly large peloton headed towards Valladolid, where the sprinters' teams gradually took firmer control. Teams like Jayco AlUla, Lotto-Dstny, and TotalEnergies were prominent, but Arkéa - B&B Hotels had the best train running. David Dekker launched Jenthe Biermans, but ultimately it was Ewan who powered over with strong strokes.

Results Vuelta a Castilla y Leon 2024:

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