Resounding success for Nesta MMR in the Spanish Cyclocross Cup Final in the Valencian Community
This past weekend, the national cyclocross season reached its exciting conclusion with the final two races of the Spanish Cup, held in Xàtiva (Saturday) and Cocentaina (Sunday) in the Valencian Community. The Nesta Cycling Team, riding their MMR bikes, finished their participation with excellent results, including two overall titles.
Martín Fernández is crowned Absolute Youth Champion
The junior category witnessed Martín Fernández 's rise to undisputed leadership. The rider from Ranón, who has led the Cup since last October, had the overall title almost mathematically secured, but he proved his worth by finishing fifth in the fast race in Xàtiva and third on the demanding circuit in Cocentaina.
Martín thus concludes an exceptional national season and celebrates the achievement of one of his major goals:
Martín Fernández: “In Xàtiva, it was a very fast circuit with a high level of competition; the European champion was there, along with several Italian riders. On the first lap, I had a couple of crashes that made me lose ground to the leaders, and I had to fight my way back. I even challenged for third place, but I ended up finishing fifth. On Sunday in Cocentaina, it was a very twisty, complicated circuit with lots of rocks, and you had to ride in a group. It was decided on the last lap... I'm happy with the weekend, I have a very good feeling about it, and I'm thrilled to win the Spanish Cup, which was one of my goals for the season .”
In this same category, the Spanish champion Benjamín Noval demonstrated his form with a double victory in both events, which allowed him to climb to fifth position in the overall standings of the Cup despite his late arrival.
Sofia Rodriguez, Overall Champion and Top Performance at Home
In the women's categories, the success was also remarkable. Sofía Rodríguez finally managed to win the overall classification of the Spanish Cup thanks to her consistency throughout the season, which included partial victories in Karrantza and Vic.
This weekend, the MMR runner had to settle for second place in Xàtiva and third in Cocentaina, due to Larissa Hartog's dominance. However, her satisfaction was palpable, especially running close to home.
Sofia Rodriguez: “I’m very happy with this weekend. These two races are very close to home, and with such a tight schedule, it’s wonderful to be able to compete here in front of family and friends. I felt very supported by people I hadn’t seen in a long time… Sunday was a different circuit, so I had to manage the race differently… I managed to take home the leader’s jersey for the first time, which I hadn’t achieved before, so I’m very happy about that and looking forward to Christmas .”
Other Notable Performances
The women's team also saw improvement from Lucía , who is gradually regaining her best form, achieving a valuable third place on Saturday and fourth on Sunday in a faster race. Alicia also regained her confidence, finishing eighth in Xàtiva and fifth in Cocentaina after several weeks of not being able to perform at her best.
Finally, in the elite men's category, Kevin Suárez only participated on Saturday in Xàtiva and achieved an excellent third place at the finish line, only surpassed by Felipe Orts and the Belgian Yorben Lauryssen.
Congratulations to the entire Nesta Cycling Team for these victories and for finishing the Spanish Cup with two overall leader's jerseys!
