Oscar Sevilla (Rock Racing) (Image credit: Jon Devich)
Commerce Bank Reading Classic winner Oscar Sevilla is prepared for the Philadelphia International Championships' lengthy 251-kilometre despite a local high heat advisory predicting hot temperatures and high humidity for Sunday's downtown race.
"I like this kind of racing. It's a race that is good for the racers who can suffer," said the Spaniard who is accustomed to training in similar weather conditions back home. "I love the heat; it's normal for me to train long training rides in this kind of weather.
"I also love the really long races, it is something that I do well at," said Sevilla. "It's the kind of race that if you are feeling good and able to deal with these conditions, you will do well. We still need to talk about our plan for the race tomorrow, but I will be a major factor."
Sevilla arrived at the Triple Crown fresh off of a fourteen-day stage race in the Vuelta a Columbia where he trained for more than four weeks in the notorious Columbian heat at altitudes as high as 13,000 feet.
"I was living at altitude for the about four weeks and raced in the Vuelta a Columbia which was very good preparation for these types of races because of the altitude, the heat and the mountains," said Sevilla who won stage nine in Caldes- Maizales. "My goal was to leave that race fresh and in good form and that is what happened."
After his Reading victory just two days ago, Sevilla expressed surprise at the speed of American racing and feels more confident of finding success in Sunday's final event of the Triple Crown.
"Reading was a victory that was important for me, but it is also important for our team. It is a race held in the home country of my team and for that, it was important for me to win. [It was important] for them for the staff for the team and for [owner] Michael Ball."
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
"I was very surprised at how fast the races were in Allentown and Reading," said Sevilla. "We were traveling a long way for speeds to be that fast." With anticipation, he added, "Philadelphia is a race that is very famous over in Europe. It is on TV, and I have always heard about it from the people I raced with. It is a beautiful race with so many people here to watch. It's a race that is going to be fast and hard and where there are a lot of riders ready to win – I am comfortable with that."
