Colombian cycling will have from this Thursday until Sunday the first big event of the season: the National Road Championships, which are headquartered Bucaramanga.
The first tests will be the individual time trials for elite and U-23 ladies (26.8 km), U-23 men (36 km) and elite (43.2 km).
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the great favorite
Daniel Martinez, In the elite, he starts as the great favorite, since he has won the gold medal three times (2019, 2020 and 2022) and was second once (2018), behind Egan Bernal.
Martinez has history in his favor, but there are other running backs who can put him against the wall; in that list they enter Egan Bernal, Rodrigo Contreras, Walter Vargas and Miguel ‘Supermán’ López.
For this occasion there are several key points to take into account for the fight of the elite, men who will go with clenched teeth for the gold medal.
“It is for a runner who is tall, with good body mass, because the descent in the first kilometers will be key,” said the coach. Luis Fernando Saldarriaga.
And he added: “It is for someone who takes advantage of the descent and regulates the ascent. Daniel Martínez is a light runner and he will have to work harder. You have to have a good position on the bike. Whoever can move a 58 or 60 tooth sprocket will have an advantage”.
For climbers?
Walter Vargas has won two bronzes (2017 and 2018) and one gold, in 2021, when he beat the clock at Diego Camargo and this time he hopes to return to the podium.
“The last part is very hard, the final 15 km are highly demanding and that is where the difference will be made,” he said.
“It is true that going down I can make differences, due to my biotype, but there will not be many among the favourites. I climb well, but the thing is that there are pure climbers like Bernal, Martínez and López himself at the front”, Vargas analyzed.
Juan Manuel Barboza He is the current champion of the Under-23 category and is the great favorite, he may not have to lose. The young rider agrees that the climb at the end will be important when it comes to determining the podiums.
“I hope to get the most out of it on flat ground, a point in favor. And on the descent I perform well. Because of my biotype I like the descent and the flat better, the slope is not good for me and that forces cyclists similar to my condition to dose forces. You have to accommodate the body and avoid the shortest possible time there, ”said the Cordovan runner.
The experience
One of the cyclists from the local lot and who can do damage is Rodrigo Contreras, who spent several years pedaling in Europe, when he was part of the Astana team. Contreras was a silver medal in the 2017 national, which Jarlinson Pantano won in
the stretch between Guatavita and La Calera.
“We have prepared well. It is a tough ride. It has all the terrain, it’s a good time trial. One must take into account several factors, such as the state of the road, the wind that it can make, the temperature, the distance and the relationship that it drives, ”he assured.
For him, who has already covered the track, it is important to adjust the relationship to this hard exercise.
“You can count on a rear sprocket with up to 58 teeth at the start, but you have to keep in mind that the return is going up. For me it would be fine to put a 56 or even a 55, because I am thin. Of course, there are people who move more”, warned Contreras.
“There are others who already have their kilometers in their legs and that sets the pace.”
For him, the final climb on the way back must be done with great power, as it is the finish of the race.
“The ascent is stretched, powerful. There are sections of 4 and 5 percent inclination. There are ramps up to 7 and 8 percent. In the first part you can breathe well, push yourself, but in the second section you have to go all the way, ”he warned.
“Another issue that must be seen is that for some this is the first competition of the year, there are others who already have their kilometers in their legs and that sets the pace,” said Contreras.
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Lisandro Rengifo
Editor of EL TIEMPO
@lisandroabel
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