“We had the luck on our side” – Raul Garcia Pierna survives late crash chaos for first Movistar win in Valencia finale

Raul Garcia Pierna emerged from a chaotic final kilometres in Valencia to take his first professional victory for Movistar, converting a day-long breakaway into a perfectly judged stage win on the closing day of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana.

With the general classification already firmly under the control of Remco Evenepoel, attention shifted to the stage itself, where repeated crashes, late attacks and a rapidly closing peloton turned the finale into a test of composure as much as strength. Garcia Pierna was one of the riders still upright and organised when it mattered most.

After the finish, the Movistar rider made clear how much the previous day had fuelled his approach to the finale.

“We’re really happy, because yesterday things didn’t go the way we wanted, and we were left with a bit of frustration. So today we went all in,” Garcia Pierna said in conversation with Cycling Pro Net. “We knew it was a day where the breakaway could make it, and in the end, we had the luck on our side.”

The decisive moments unfolded on familiar but treacherous roads around Valencia, where several riders hit the deck in the closing kilometres. Garcia Pierna explained that restraint, rather than aggression, shaped his choices as the finish approached.

“In the end, everyone knows the asphalt here, and especially after the crash in the time trial earlier in the week, I preferred not to take unnecessary risks,” he said. “I chose to focus more on surviving than trying something too risky and crashing.”

That measured approach proved decisive as late chaos thinned the front group and allowed Garcia Pierna to position himself for the winning move, while others paid the price for taking chances on slippery corners.

Beyond the immediate result, the stage win carried added weight as Garcia Pierna’s first victory in Movistar colours, coming early in his time with the team. “You always want to win, and especially now, in my first races with Movistar,” he said. “This is what we’d been working for, and that makes it very special.”

The win capped a dramatic final day in Valencia, delivering Movistar a morale-boosting success to close the race, even as Evenepoel completed overall victory. For Garcia Pierna, it was a breakthrough moment built on patience, positioning and a calm head when the finale threatened to unravel.