Thibau Nys clinched a remarkable victory on his first race back on the road at the Gran Premio Miguel Indurain in Estella, Spain. Andrea Bagioli backed it up with a very impressive 3rd place.
The 204 kilometer course, renowned for its hilly terrain, featured multiple ascents, including the Alto de Eraul and the Muro de Ibarra, which played pivotal roles in how the race unfolded. The early breakaway, comprising of seven riders, established a sizable lead over the peloton with a 7 minute advantage at one point. However, the Lidl-Trek guys, including 18 year old Hector Alvarez, increased the tempo in the main group, aiming to set up Thibau for the latter stages.
On the Alto de Eraul, approximately 10 kilometers from the finish, the breakaway was reeled in and the attacks started with Bauke Mollema in the thick of it. With just under 2km remaining, Thibau executed a powerful and well-timed attack on the steep gradients of the Muro de Ibarra. His acceleration was unmatched, allowing him to distance himself from the chasing group. Thibau maintained a small lead through the technical descent into Estella, crossing the finish line solo to claim his first professional road victory in Spain.
A brilliant 3rd place for Andrea Bagioli in the sprint behind adds to Bagioli’s consistent performances in the early part of this season, including a fifth-place finish at both the Faun Drome Classic and the Cade Evans Great Ocean Road Race.
The day concluded with Nys receiving the winner’s trophy from the legend that the race is named after, Miguel Indurain.
In Thibau’s words:
I was dreaming of this last night. I knew I was in great shape and that the course would suit me with the final kick like this. The climb in the end really suited me, but you never know how the body will react in the first race day. Immediately when the final opened up a bit I felt that I had really good legs and that I could do a really good final, but you never know how the competition will be and how the others feel, maybe someone else is having a super good day. We turned up the last climb and I knew I was going to win.
I think we managed perfectly with the team. We were in the right position in the right moments, I didn’t stress the whole race and I was just in the middle of the bunch trying not to catch any wind. In the final we did it perfect, with Bauke in the front group in the last 5km, so we didn’t have to do anything. On the last climb it was all out and I could do my thing.
I knew that if you come on top with about five seconds you could win the race. I knew I just had to go all out. It’s super nice to win already, and next week we try to go for a nice GC with Mattias [Skjelmose], and I will try to go for a stage maybe. This week is all in preparation for the Ardennes, to already win is really nice.
