Sergio Mantecon wins Costa Blanca Bike Race
It was a typical beautiful week in southern Spain, and Sergio Mantecon made the most of it with a win in the first UCI race of the year at the Costa Blanca Bike Race. Two-person teams tackle a stage race format, and it’s always a terrific early season litmus test. Sergio’s partner for the race was Jan Skarnitz, with who Sergio has won the race in previous editions.
The goal was simple: win this race again. Everything began strongly with dominant performances in stage one. The duo won stage two by 2 minutes and 20 seconds. Stage three saw the duo again control the race, and come out in command.
Stage four looked to be a similar story, however disaster struck with Sergio falling victim to a double flat with five kilometers to go. With the clock ticking and their entire margin lost, Sergio and Jan set off to chase down the victory that was quickly slipping away. With only 6 seconds to spare, the duo caught their competition, and made the win happen.