Mavi Garcia: I thought I could win Strade Bianche

SIENA ITALY AUGUST 01 Podium Margarita Victoria Garcia Caellas of Spain and Team Ale BTC Ljubljana Celebration Trophy Flowers during the Eroica 6th Strade Bianche 2020 Women Elite a 136km race from Siena to Siena Piazza del Campo StradeBianche on August 01 2020 in Siena Italy Photo by Luc ClaessenGetty Images
‘Mavi’ García (Alé BTC Ljubljana) (Image credit: Getty Images)

Margarita Victoria ‘Mavi’ García (Alé BTC Ljubljana) was a happy rider after the Strade Bianche finish despite losing out to Annemiek van Vleuten (Mitchelton-Scott) on the final climb and finishing in second place, 22 seconds behind the world champion.

García had attacked a long way from the finish and went on a 40-kilometre solo. For some time, she looked like the prospective winner, still enjoying a lead of three minutes on the closest chasers as she entered the last three gravel sectors with 25 km to go, though those GPS timings turned out to be not all that reliable in the final.

“For a moment, with about fifteen kilometres left, I thought I could win," said García. “But then Van Vleuten reduced my advantage a lot in a short time. When she caught me, I tried to recover and finish well, maybe be able to attack her, but she was simply too strong.”

Lukas Knöfler started working in cycling communications in 2013 and has seen the inside of the scene from many angles. Having worked as press officer for teams and races and written for several online and print publications, he has been Cyclingnews’ Women’s WorldTour correspondent since 2018.