MADRID, Dec. 5 (.) –
The Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar, from the UAE Team Emirates, has won this Sunday the online test of the first edition of the Madrid Criterium, held on the Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid, and the Spanish and teammate Juan Ayuso, the elimination, in an event attended by thousands of fans.
Organized by the Sports&Events Editorial Unit, with the support of the Municipal Transport Company (EMT) and the Madrid City Council, 41 runners participated in the I Madrid Criterium, 36 of them professionals.
After working in the first round for Juan Ayuso, who managed to be the last survivor in the elimination race against a combative Jonathan Lastra (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), the Slovenian, winner of the Tour in 2020 and 2021 and second in 2022 , imposed his law to go alone in the online race with a few laps to go.
“Winning is always special, but it is even more so when you feel the affection of the public for two days like the ones we have experienced in Madrid.
It has been fantastic”, affirmed Pogacar.
The current Spanish champions, Carlos Rodríguez (road) and Raúl García Pierna (time trial), finished second and third, respectively.
The mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, presented the champion prize to Tadej Pogacar. “I am amazed by the number of stars from the peloton that had gathered in the capital. It is a unique opportunity in terms of image and promotion of Madrid, in the middle of Paseo de la Castellana and with a spectacular cast of riders like the one that has ridden by the circuit”, commented Martínez-Almeida.
Before the professional race, the program started with the children’s relay and adapted cycling event, promoted by the Madrid Cycling Federation, in which cyclists from different schools and athletes with functional diversity took part.
Women also played a fundamental role in the I Madrid Criterium thanks to the project of the Royal Spanish Cycling Federation, Women in Bike, where a group of runners rolled around the circuit in order to make visible the importance of the female figure in sport and, especially, in cycling.
