Rojas solos to second Spanish road race title

"Rojas has been unbeatable." With the silver medal on his chest, Ángel Vicioso (Katusha) synthesized the feeling of all the riders who took part today in the road race at the Spanish National Championship. José Joaquín Rojas (Movistar) won the race for second time in his career from a successful breakaway, defeating his companions Vicioso and Jordi Simón (Verva-ActiveJet) with a final attack with five kilometres to go.

The race was held on Cocentaina, birthplace of the mastermind behind this edition of the Spanish National Championships, Vicente Belda. Soul of the once noteworthy Kelme-Costa Blanca team, Belda was pleased to see his son David, tiny climber now riding for the Roth-Skoda team, make the main breakaway of the day.

Six riders escaped along with David Belda. The two main Spanish teams, Movistar Team and Caja Rural, put two riders each in the group: Rubén Fernández and José Herrada for the blue team, Diego Rubio and Miguel Ángel Benito for the green. Two youngsters were there as well: Basque prospect Alex Aranburu (Euskadi-Murias) and Giro finisher Cristian Rodríguez (Willier-Southeast).

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The breakaway wasn't meant to succeed and was definitely doomed when Benito lost contact, therefore provoking a situation where Caja Rural wasn't even with Movistar. The Professional Continental team took the reins of the peloton and almost neutralized the group. Only Fernández and Belda attacked in two to survive ahead of the pack.

There were two laps left over a hilly course that, without big climbs, accumulated almost 600 metres of elevation gain over 32 kilometres. On the toughest part of the circuit, Mikel Landa (Sky) and Purito Rodríguez (Katusha) made a move that didn't break clear. The following attack by Jordi Simón did.

The Catalan rider, now racing for the Polish team Verva-ActiveJet, found good company for his willing to be offensive. Sergio Pardilla (Caja Rural), Rojas and Vicioso followed his wheel while he bridged across to the pair that still resisted as head of the race.

Despite some powerful attacks from the peloton, including a remarkable one with Iván García Cortina (Klein Constantia) and Luis Ángel Maté (Cofidis) and a couple of accelerations by Rubén Plaza (Orica-GreenEdge), the fight for the medals was a matter for the six-man group that had formed ahead. With 15 kilometres to go, Simón made a big attack to raise the bar and leave behind Fernández, Belda and Pardilla.

It was then when the Rojas show started. The rider from Murcia went on the offensive time and again. "I wanted to get rid of Vicioso," he asserted on the press conference. And so he did with 5 kilometres to go. "He doubted for a bit and I took the chance to beat him."

This victory is the first for Rojas this season, and the 30th for Movistar Team. "I've had a good season so far. Recently I had good performances at both Giro d'Italia and Route du Sud, so I was confident I could fight for this win," he explained. "Maybe I've shifted my role a bit the last couple of years, from sprinter to domestique, but victory isn't everything. Thanks to this new focus I've improved as a rider. Now I can win from afar and don't have to wait for the sprint anymore."

Asked about his plans for the rest of the season, Rojas explained he intended to participate on the Vuelta a España and was unsure of contesting the Qatar Worlds. "Frankly, I don't know what to expect. I didn't make the Spanish squad for Richmond last year despite of being in great shape. In fact, the Spanish coach [Javier Mínguez] has never called me nor talked to me. I don't trust him."

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