Not a month and a half has passed since the Itzulia Basque Country, which was won by Daniel Felipe Martínez, that we have had the first version of the women's race of the Itzulia, a three-stage edition that arose from the moment that "the UCI confirmed to us that there could be no dates for the women's Klasikoa because it coincided with the Tour de France", Alaitz Biritxinaga, the race director, began to tell us with great pleasure.
Araitz, with more than 25 years of experience as a referee judge and a regular collaborator of the UCI team, is very happy about this. ItzuliaShe is living days of effervescence with the success of the race: "It was to see, the great amount of people that I saw from the car because they will want to enjoy the race".
The popular heat of this first Itzulia Women is also reinforced by a women's cycling calendar that is growing steadily. in this part of the year in this area, because at the Itzulia Women fits into a list of competitions that attracts the best in the world: Navarra, Eibar, ItzuliaDurango and Vuelta a Burgos, this coming weekend.
"We are in a good moment, really. The calendar is growing, the races are feeding back and the fans are growing," Alaitz points out.
The best in the world and at home
The truth is that races like these activate a virtuous circle that women's cycling lovers have to keep moving. On the competitive level one of the stars of the present and immediate future of world cycling, Demi Vollering from the Netherlands, dominated, who left her stamp on as many stages as she competed in: winner of the three days and jersey the final yellow.
"She's a lovely, approachable girl. I had the opportunity to talk to her at the end of the race, she was enthusiastic about what she had seen in the three days of the race. In addition, she was very grateful for the effort we have made in the creation of the race," says the head of the organization.
A gratitude that was extended to the girls who race for the Spanish teams, smaller, more humble on paper, but eager to learn: "One of the nights I slept in the hotel of Sopela and having breakfast with the cyclists they showed me a terrible illusion. They were aware that winning was very complicated, but their desire to learn remained on the road".
"They were real warriors," he concludes.
The organizational challenge
Gobik was in the first edition of the Itzulia Women in history by dressing the leaders at the end of each stage. "I really liked the design, it was very attractive, with everything very well placed, with the elements in place, without being overloaded. I loved the jersey I loved the green of the regularity, for me it makes all the difference.
The truth is that, as Julián Eraso, president of the organization, told us in the run-up to the Itzulia the end of March, the organizational challenge has been there: two international cycling races of the highest level in a month and a half.
"We have all the infrastructure of the April race and what we have done is to replicate it in the sites -admits Alaitz-. In addition, we already have the management and dynamics in place, although the effort made has not been small".
Now Alaitz and his team are already thinking about the second edition, even with the aftertaste of the inaugural race, a three-stage lap that linked Vitoria-Gasteiz with Labastida, with two circuits starting and finishing in Mallabia and San Sebastian-Donostia. Demi Vollering was the first to register her name as the best on each day, ahead of Paulien Rooijakkers and Kristen Faulker.
They are already history in one of the great premieres of the year in the framework of the best women's cycling in the world.
