On Tuesday, Spanish cyclist Alejandra Neira was crowned European Junior Women’s Time Trial champion at the European Road Cycling Championships in Slovenia, finishing the course in 35:45.65.
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Belgian Laura took silver, finishing just three seconds behind the Spaniard with a time of 35:48.83. Meanwhile, Lithuanian Auguste Mikutyte completed the podium, finishing in 35:56.14.
Neira arrived at the continental championships as one of the main favorites after recently winning the world title in the road race in Montreal. However, she had started the European Championships with a modest seventh-place finish in the road race.
The victory allowed the Spanish rider to recover from that result and retain the European Junior Women’s Time Trial title for Spain, a title won the previous year by Paula Ostiz, another outstanding Spanish cyclist from the lower categories.
The European Championships course was a 22.1-kilometer circuit, and the main challenge was the climb to Mozjanca, a 2.1-kilometer ascent with an average gradient of 10.2% and maximum ramps of 15.8%, a decisive factor in the race.
Neira started among the last riders and engaged in a battle against the clock with Laura Five. Although the Belgian recorded faster split times at some checkpoints, the Spaniard managed to close the gap in the final stretch thanks to a more consistent pace.
She crossed the finish line with the best time of the day, securing another gold medal for Spanish cycling. The European competition concluded with time trial events for all categories, from junior to elite, in both the female and male branches.
teleSUR: JP
Source: EFE
