Equipo Kern Pharma DS Juan José Oroz stunned with team's La Vuelta success: "I can't believe it"

Equipo Kern Pharma's Vuelta a España 2024 is absolutely insane. The wildcard team has three stage wins and several places of honor. 14 times they have finished in the top ten and they don't seem to want to stay there. In the 18th stage, where Urko Berrade won, up to three riders from the team were in the Top 10.

Pablo Castrillo was the first to light the fuse. He has taken two victories in the high mountains thanks to impressive breakaways. He won in Manzaneda, suffering hard not to be caught by Max Poole. But just three days later, the Aragonese gave us a performance for history in the Cuitu Negru climb. He went with Aleksandr Vlasov and Pavel Sivakov, two renowned climbers in the peloton. And on a mountain pass with ramps of up to 24%, this cheeky 23-year-old attacked the Russian several times until he nailed him and was able to raise his arms at the finish line.

Team manager Juan José Oroz doesn't believe his eyes. He was positive before the race but it's one thing to be positive and another thing to be positive about what his boys are achieving. After Urko Berrade's victory in Maetzu the Navarrese had no words to describe how he felt.

"I don't believe what is happening. We work from the basics, but to be here now is unreal. It's not just about the money, it's also about the hard work. Winning three stages is not normal, I can't believe it. At the beginning, we had difficulties finding sponsors. I feel excited, especially after this third win, but of course we keep working to improve even more."