Clasica Jaen, UAE Tour: Gravel and Sand

 

 Van Aert leads on the spanish gravel sector in Clasica Jaen Paraiso.

One of the most recent and also exciting one-day races of the season is a warm-up to Strade Bianche, the Clasica Jaen Paraiso Interior provides the road peloton a lot of reaching on gravel roads through hilly terrain in Spain. The race is 174 kilometers long, mostly on the road in the first half, whilst the second half will be very difficult and chaotic. The race has 2500 meters of climbing without a single mountain, but most notably the final 75 kilometers long have 32.6 kilometers of gravel sectors.

Michal Kwiatkowski does not win often at this point in his career but he took a big solo win, meaningful for the former World Champion after almost two years without one (last won at the 2023 Tour de France). Isaac del Toro rode to a second place and Ibon Ruiz held on from the early breakaway to finish an impressive third on the day.

"I always have to believe that anything is possible. The pace was super hard from the second sector and I didn't expect it so early on. We knew we could do it well. I was just going with the McNulty move and get to the finish. I'm proud of how we rode today. I want to dedicate this victory to my family after a tough couple of months, so it's all for them."

-Michal Kwiatkowski

UAE Tour

"I'm brutally tired. I think the temperature and this last 700 metres and all the race was really tough. It was a pretty intense day. In the beginning it was a bit quiet, also with the headwind and we went in the circuit and there was some echelons and then everyone came back again. I have to say thank you to my guys because like every race they control, support me and then they lead me out like this so year, first a big thanks to them."

-Jonathan Milan