Gipuzkoan cyclist Maite Urteaga surprised in the opening time trial of the Gipuzkoa Tour, emerging as the fastest over the 3.7-kilometer course. In the subsequent two mountain stages, her natural terrain, it became clear she would face no issues in winning the stages and claiming the Gipuzkoa Tour title with dominance. Her superiority is such that her results are a clear indication she deserves to compete at a higher level.
Following Maite Urteaga's lead, in the children's category, sisters Amaia and Amalia are making their mark. On the road, Amaia Agirre is a dominant force in Gipuzkoa. Last Saturday, she secured another victory in Errenteria, finishing 4th among the boys and being the top-ranked girl. Her sister, Amalia, managed to rank within the top 15 boys.
At the Euskadi Games for the children's category in Amurrio the following day, Amaia finished third, earning a bronze medal. Amalia came in sixth. In the boys' category, Mikel Otaño was the representative from the Zumaia Cycling Club participating in the Euskadi Games. This weekend, all three will compete in the BTT Basque Country Championship in Oiartzun.
Amaia Agirre has been selected for the Spanish Championships and has already begun training with the Basque Country's regional team. The Spanish children's championship will take place in Madrid on June 20th.
In Errenteria, athletes from the Zumaia Cycling Club were also prominent in the alevín and benjamín categories. In the benjamín category, Aratz Aranburu once again demonstrated his dominance. The cadets raced in Durango on Saturday afternoon, where Xuban Arakistain and Daniel Blanco were the fastest among the Viveros San Antón cyclists; Julen Alkorta, Borja Osa (who had a crash on a descent), and Oinatz Alberdi finished close behind them. It was a demanding route with tremendous heat, making it a commendable race for these young cyclists.
The juniors had a demanding weekend: on Saturday, they competed in the Basque Country Championship in Amurrio, and on Sunday afternoon, they had a race in Anoeta. It was an elimination phase race of the Basque Country Championship. Lukas Blanco managed to finish the race; he was the only one from the Viveros San Anton-Mardu team to do so. The rider from Zarautz completed a very strong race, staying with the main peloton, and after being in a breakaway, he finished 37th. In Anoeta, he was also the best cyclist for the team, finishing in 24th place. There were many incidents during the race, and it even stopped, but after being out of contention, Unai Egaña salvaged the situation and finished the race.
The juniors have reached the Gipuzkoa International Classic. They will face a tough challenge against Europe's top cyclists on Saturday in Ormaiztegi and on Sunday in the Egia neighborhood of Donostia. The Ormaiztegi stage will have two parts; a long-distance race in the morning and a time trial between Ormaiztegi and Gabiria in the afternoon. This is the most important Basque Country race of its category, serving as a reference in Europe, with participation requests coming from all over.
