Castroviejo wins first Spanish time trial title

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Movistar's Jonathan Castroviejo won the Spanish Time Trial Championship today in Bembibre, defeating by a clear margin the defending title holder, Luis León Sánchez (Blanco), and his Movistar teammate Rubén Plaza. Castroviejo clocked 54:52 for the 44km course, 45 seconds faster than Sánchez and 1:46 better than bronze medalist Plaza. With this victory, his first national time trial title, Castroviejo took satisfaction with his victory over Luis León, after finishing runner-up to the Murcian rider in the two previous editions of this event.

The time trial route was 44 kilometres long and was reportedly flat; however, it proved to be tough for the competitors. "There is no easy TT," said Rubén Plaza, laughing.

Castroviejo provided his assessment of the route. "At the start, there was a relatively long section of false flat which created some [time] differences. After that, we had to face about 20 kilometres that, although flat or even descending, featured strong winds. That's the section which decided the outcome of the race, since the final kilometres were ridden with a tailwind."

Castroviejo was the best throughout the whole race, which he admitted to be "a goal" for his season. He set the fastest times at all the intermediate check points, increasingly distancing his rivals. Those included Movistar teammate Alejandro Valverde, who reportedly took part in the competition in order to test his aero position, recently improved in the wind tunnel of Sierra Nevada with an eye on the time trials at the upcoming Tour de France. As a result, Valverde took a respectable 5th place in his first participation in this event so far.

Meanwhile, youngster Carlos Verona (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) has having a good ride, 7th at the mid-race check point on a course not suited to his light weight, but the 20-year-old crashed and was forced to abandon, although no severe injuries were reported.

Defending champion Luis León Sánchez was a little disappointed, after failing to deliver what would have been his fifth championship and fourth straight. "I took part in the Tour of Belgium and the Tour de Suisse in order to get in shape for this race, but I just felt slower and slower as the kilometres went by," he said. "I think that the gear I used was too big," explained the Murcian, who was supported by the vehicle and staff of his regional federation.

The competition's mood was tempered by the serious accident which involved a Euskaltel-Euskadi bus on the eve of the race. The vehicle was severely damaged by its crash with a truck, while the bus's driver, masseur Rufino Murguía, is currently in the ICU of the Hospital de Burgos. His medical condition is considered "severe" but no information about the nature of his injuries has been made public.

Winner Jonathan Castroviejo paid tribute to Murguía after his victory, while Euskaltel's rider Jon Izagirre had a stellar performance but finished in fourth place, just 17 seconds shy of a podium result.