Castrillo secures his future with another masterpiece in the Vuelta: "When I saw Vlasov's face..."

Pablo Castrillo—had you heard of him before this Vuelta a España? As in, did you actually know who he was? Many cycling fans likely didn’t have him in their predictions for the Tour of Spain, but the 2024 Vuelta has become the race of this 23-year-old Spaniard's big breakthrough. After an already impressive stage win from the breakaway on day twelve, his stage victory on the monstrous Cuitu Negru was even more remarkable. Standing at 1.83 meters and weighing over 70 kilograms, he outperformed big names from the leading group.

Before this Vuelta, Castrillo had never won a race. He signed with the ProContinental team Equipe Kern Pharma in 2023 (after a period as a trainee) for two seasons, which now seems to have been a fortunate decision. WorldTour teams will be lining up for him after Castrillo showcased his climbing abilities not only in a challenging hill stage but also on a massive Vuelta climb. "A damn dream," was all the stage winner could say in the flash interview after his victory.

The fact that he was in the breakaway wasn't even a surprise, especially since he had already won a stage. His legs felt strong, but no one could have predicted they were strong enough for him to ride Pavel Sivakov and Aleksandr Vlasov off his wheel. Especially when Castrillo seemed to be struggling in the wheel during the steepest kilometers. "I had incredible legs," he admitted. "They were even better than on day twelve; I truly gave everything I had in that attack."

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Has Castrillo earned a transfer to INEOS Grenadiers?

When the steepest sections began in the last three kilometers, Castrillo boldly broke away. Sivakov and Vlasov didn't respond, and by the time Vlasov eventually joined him, he was already worn out. Castrillo was then able to drop the Russian from Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe in the final meters. "When I saw Vlasov's face, I decided to attack. I can't explain these performances any further; I never expected this."

Expected or not, performances like these are almost always rewarded in cycling. Ciclo21 is already reporting that INEOS Grenadiers will soon secure Castrillo's services. The British multi-million euro team is taking advantage of a clause in the Spaniard's contract that allows him to void his automatic extension until the end of 2025 if a WorldTour team shows interest. Reportedly, that interest was already expressed before the Vuelta.