With the “idea of defending the tricolor jersey” of the national champion, the succumb Alexander Cepeda (Drone Hopper-Androni Giocattoli) will face this Sunday the elite of national cyclingwith Olympic champion Richard Carapaz and former national champion Jonathan Caicedo as the main opponents.
But those of the WorldTour will not be the only figures of the batch of runners that this Sunday will roll through the streets of northern Quito, in a 163.2 kilometer routewhich will reward the winner with the chance to wear the national flag during their races this season.
“It will be a very disputed test, It has important things like being in the capital and the fact that several of us cyclists who ride in Europe will be there, It will be a nice show, but also very hard, which is what is sought, that it be a fast and demanding track”, said Cepeda in dialogue with THE UNIVERSE.
“The idea is to defend the shirt because It is a pride to wear that jersey in European lands”, Said the sucumbisense, who adds his third season in Italy.
“Hopefully the race will go our way, but we know that we also have very important rivals like Richard (Ineos Grenadiers) and jonathan (EF Education-EasyPost),” he said. Vest.
The circuit, which will be held from 8:00 on Sunday in the surroundings of the Atahualpa Olympic Stadiumis unknown to Cepeda, “I don’t know him, but I have seen that there are some slopes, in the end with the laps everything weighs, there you will see the one who feeds better or runs with a good head. They are 17 laps of the circuit, 163 kilometers that will leave their mark”, he commented.
Winner of 2021, when he faced no team to the local squads, Cepeda warns that this condition is the main obstacle to win in this new edition.
“We, with Richard and Jonathan, go aloneand we have complete teams as rivals, that’s why we have to run well and take advantage of any advantage that can be gained, then there will be the individual rivalry and there you have to defend yourself well and gain ground because defining in a sprint is more difficult against Richard, that has that point of speed more than one, “explained Cepeda.
“Last year I was able to win it and without a team, I ran it well, keeping an eye on the peloton, but you have to be careful with the teams, Movistar Best-PC and Banco Guayaquil-Ecuador will be complete here, which has the main brokers in the country, that makes it more difficult to control the race because if they attack we have to chase ourselves; but if on the contrary, we attack, they have six men to go after us, that’s why It’s hard to run alone then if we talk about favorites, we are all favorites in a one day racebut there can also be surprises”, he pointed out.
Jersey of the national champion Alexander Cepeda rests in the Museo della Bicicletta
Completed the race on Sunday, that same night Cepeda travels to Italy“Hopefully it can be with the tricolor jersey because it is the best thing to wear the Ecuadorian flag in Europe, anyone would like to be able to wear it, that’s why I think we will offer a great show on Sunday,” he assured.
Cepeda will open the season with his team, in Spainplans to run the Gran Camino from February 24in March he will be in Italy where he aims at the Milano – Torino and the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali, by April he will be in the Tour of the Alps, “and then wait for confirmation of the invitation for the team to the Giro, to try to earn a place on the payroll,” he said. Vest. (D)
Source: Eluniverso
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