Urretxu Cyclist Wins Zegama's Elkartu Nahi Race in Junior Category

The Bellota-Goierri team rider crossed the finish line alone after a challenging 73-kilometer mountain stage.

Generic image of a bicycle wheel on a mountain road, with green mountains in the background.
IA

Generic image of a bicycle wheel on a mountain road, with green mountains in the background.

A cyclist from Urretxu has claimed victory in the Elkartu Nahi Prize cycling race held in Zegama, triumphing in the junior category after a tough 73-kilometer mountain course.

The Bellota-Goierri team rider crossed the finish line alone to win the 39th Elkartu Nahi Prize, which took place in Zegama. This race for junior male cyclists covered a distance of 73.5 kilometers and started at 10:00 AM.
The route featured categorized mountain passes at the Lierni and Troi mines, with participants completing the circuit three times. Each lap included passages through Segura, Mutiloa, Lierni, Ugarana de Gabiria, Ergoiena de Mutiloa, the mine pass, and Zerain.
The winner arrived at the finish line solo, holding a 22-second lead over Manex Larrañaga (Besa-Geminis), Bastien Ospital (Urt Velo 64), and Jordi White (Baque-Movistar). The peloton arrived fragmented, demonstrating the difficulty of the stage.
Following the Urretxu victor, the next best cyclist from the Goierri region was Eritz Atxega from Lazkao (Ampo), who secured 5th place, 25 seconds behind. The Ampo team placed three riders in the top ten: in addition to Atxega, Haitz Zunzunegi from Baliarrain finished 7th, and Jon Eskisabel from Gabiria was 10th. Oxel Azkarate from Lazkao finished 12th. The team prize was awarded to Ampo, leaving Baque and the Northern Basque Country Urt Velo 64 teams behind.
The mountain prize was won by Eritz Atxega with 18 points, followed by Jon Eskisabel with 15 points, and the race winner with 8 points.