Hugh Carthy (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) has taken the overall classification at the Vuelta Asturias beating teammate Sergio Pardilla to the title. Carthy took the lead on the opening stage after soloing to victory on the Alto de Acebo.
“I wanted to win the first stage on El Acebo. We thought it was possible and therefore, we worked very hard that day,” said Carthy. “I knew that I had to attack to gain time on my rivals before the last two days. I’m glad it worked out. It’s always difficult to control a race. I had a bad moment on the climb yesterday but to win a race, you have to be able to overcome such moments. I suffered but you always have to suffer in order to win.”
Moreno takes victory on final stage of Vuelta Asturias
Just days after the birth of his daughter, Daniel Moreno had another reason to celebrate with victory on the final stage of the Vuelta Asturias. It is the Spaniard’s first victory in the colours of Movistar after moving to the team over the winter.
After an aggressive finale, Moreno came into the last kilometre with race leader Hugh Carthy and Sergio Pardilla. A late surge to the line from Moreno distanced Carthy before the Spaniard beat Pardilla in the run to the line. His victory was enough to put him onto the final podium in third place.
“It's been a great satisfaction, how this Vuelta a Asturias has ended for us. We did a great race also on day one, but Caja Rural was too strong for us. It's been a good taste for us after all, with yesterday's win by Carlos and mine today,” Moreno explained. "I didn't know the Violeo climb, and it has been a tough one for me. I was actually holding my horses a bit through the ascent because I didn't have a clear idea of how the final slopes were.
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“We started it off strong after Ucha was caught down, because the peloton was already strung out and, from man number five or six into the peloton, suffering was too much to overtake and enter the climb in a good place. Once Carthy attacked, I started to control the gap, seeing how long I could let him go while I saved some legs for the last part of the climb. Later on, seeing that I was going well, I followed his wheel, with 'Pardillita' reaching to us a big later. We took some good turns until the finish and I could win this one for the team.”
Swift avoids injury in Romandie crash
Things didn’t look good for Ben Swift after the final stage of the Tour de Romandie when he was being helped to hospital with strapping on his knee, but the Team Sky rider escaped any serious injury.
“All in all pretty crap week for myself. Took a kicking all week and then crashed heavy in the final. In hospital for checks now,” Swift posted on Twitter on Sunday evening.
Swift came down in a pile-up inside the final kilometre of stage 5 of the Tour de Romandie. He was able to get back onto his bike and finish the race but was later taken to hospital to take a look at his injured knee and ribs.
He later confirmed that he hadn’t broken anything and hoped he would be able [to] ride at the Tour of California. “All good, no fracture's just really swollen knee and ribs. Hopefully, we are still good to go for California. Thanks for the well wishes,” he wrote.
Geschke has surgery to remove collarbone plate
After a knee injury and illness plaguing his early-season racing schedule, Simon Geschke ended the first part of his year with surgery to remove the plate on his collarbone. It comes a day after finishing 15th at the Rund um den Finanzplatz Eschborn-Frankfurt.
“1st day of my spring break and i got up 5:45 to go to the hospital and get my collarbone plate removed. Suiting end of a not ideal spring,” Geschke said on Twitter on Monday morning.
Geschke broke his collarbone during last year’s Tirreno-Adriatico after colliding with the back of a team car as he came back to it following a mechanical problem.
Busche and Sagan donate jerseys to raise money for Ronald McDonald House
The Cycle Club of Evesham, an elite level cycling team based in Marlton, New Jersey, has teamed up with US champion Matthew Busche and 2015 Tour of California winner Peter Sagan to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House.
Busche and Sagan each donated a signed jerseys for an Ebay auction to benefit the charity, which provides housing and care for families of children who require extended hospital stays. Busche contributed a signed US champion's jersey, while Sagan donated a yellow jersey from his win in California.
The donations have kept the momentum going that was started by 2013 Tour of California winner Tejay van Garderen, who also donated a jersey for the 2014 auction. A yellow jersey from Bradley Wiggins' was on the block last year.
Efforts to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House Charities started in 2010, when an event that Evesham director Ken Mills runs for the club changed to a memorial race for fellow rider Ryan Pettit and his wife Becky, who lost there daughter Brianna to complications from a heart surgery procedure in 2009. The Pettit’s choose the Ronald McDonald House as the charity for Mills and the Cycle Club of Evesham because Brianna had spent time there before and after her surgery.
The auction for the jerseys is currently live on Ebay and runs through Monday evening.
