Third place for Jon in the sprint of the first stage
Winning on their home stage is a dream of every rider when they turn profesisonal. Jon Aberasturi, a Basque rider from Vitoria, the host city of today’s start, came very close to making it happen. At the finish in Labastida Jon was third behind Hayter (Ineos) and Schmid (Soudal-QuickStep).
The feeling after the line is one of satisfaction with the performance and the result. But a hint of regret, coming so close to success, remains.
When you are competitive and can show it, you can be satisfied. I'm happy with the podium, it's an important result, but I wanted first place. Today I felt I could do it.
Aberasturi does not have too much to blame himself for, however, because the final sprint was not fully suited to his characteristics, and the finish came after a tough day of climbing in the legs.
“The finish was nervous, with three climbs in the space of a couple kilometers,” Jon said. “I knew it well, I knew it was not exactly ideal for me. It was an unusual sprint, which I started from too far back, and that affected me a bit. Getting on Fraile and Hayter’s wheel was the right choice, but I got there after spending more energy than ideal. I wanted and, perhaps could havedone better. I came very close to overtake the riders in front of me.”
In his second season with Trek-Segafredo, Aberasturi has proven his reliability as a helper and, when called upon, has certainly not forgotten his sprint skills that, in 11 years as a pro rider, have earned him 15 victories.
“I joined the team with a very clear role, which is to help the team, to be available to the captains. It’s a role that, at this point in my career, I enjoy doing. I know how to do it, especially when it comes to launch and set up a sprint, as often happened last year. But when I’m called upon, I try to be ready and competitive to win. Today was one of those days,” Jon concluded.
