Cycling: Castroviejo claims red jersey as team Movistar win

PAMPLONA:

Spaniard Jonathan Castroviejo pulled on the leader’s red jersey in the Tour of Spain after his Movistar team won the opening 16.5 kilometre team time-trial.

The Spanish outfit of defending Vuelta champion Juan Jose Cobo and outsider Alejandro Valverde clocked a winning time of 18 minutes, 51 seconds, to finish ahead of Dutch team Rabobank and Belgium’s Omega Pharma, who both timed 19 minutes, one second.

“For me it’s obviously a personal satisfaction,” said Castroviejo. “Nothing was planned, everyone gave what they could in this complicated final and it turned out that I crossed the line in front.”

Published in The Express Tribune, August 20^th, 2012.