12/02/2024

Incredible Oier Lazkano takes stunning breakaway victory at the Clásica Jaén Paraiso Interior

Oier Lazkano spent the entire day in the breakaway at the Clásica Jaén Paraiso Interior and despite the best efforts of the chasing pack he simply refused to be caught, holding on for an incredible victory.

In a blistering start to the racing, the first 60km of the day were covered at an average speed of 44.96 km/h, making it the fastest edition ever at the halfway point.

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In the early break were five men, Igor Arrieta (UAE Team Emirates), Nicolas Prodhomme (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team), Oier Lazkano (Movistar Team), Jefferson Alveiro Cepeda (Caja Rural - Seguros RGA) and Alex Molenaar (Illes Balears Arabay Cycling).

As the race reached the first gravel sector, there was immediate trouble for Wout van Aert, who punctured within the first few medal strokes on the gravel. Swapping tires with Per Strand Hagenes, the Belgian was quickly back on his way and chasing.

With Team Visma | Lease a Bike chasing hard to reconnect van Aert with the peloton, the main bunch in turn upped their pace to try and keep the Belgian away. All the while the gap to the breakaway was closing.

With 30km to go, Prudhomme and Lazkano remained in the lead some 3:17 ahead on the main pack. Arrieta was still somewhere in between but for van Aert, things were looking bleak, now nearly 4 minutes down.

As the attacks came from the leaders, an elite selection was formed. Tim Wellens, Sepp Kuss, Jan Tratnik, Michal Kwiatkowski, Carlos Canal and Bastien Tronchon began hunting down the lead duo.

Lazkano could smell the chasing pack getting nearer and was attempting with all his might to break free from Prudhomme but despite his best efforts the Frenchman continued to keep contact. With 20km their lead had slipped to 1:45 though.

Finally though, with 13km to go, the elastic snapped and Lazkano broke free. From the chasers behind, Wellens, Kuss, Tratnik and Tronchon continued to give their all. With 8km left, all gravel had been passed and Lazkano had around 40 seconds to hold on to.

Descension amongst the ranks in the chasers was benefitting the Spanish leader as Tronchon refused to do any pulling.

As the kilometres remaining continued to drop, the timegap was holding firm, with Lazkano nearing an incredible victory. Bastien Tronchon leading home the chasers ahead of Jan Tratnik to complete the podium.