Victory at the Valencia Criterium

It happened, the prophecies were true, the predictions real, you could feel it in your bones. The fifth edition of the Criterium Valencia arrived , and our team, the Nesta-FabricBike Team, was no exception. After two great victories on home soil, one by Sara ( @cuetosara ) and a silver for Luis ( @luisso94 ), the excellent organization of this now well-established event on the national calendar welcomed them for a very special day. We, Fabric Bike, were the main sponsor of the race (we had a very special Fabric Light frame for the occasion, thanks to @airbrush_customs ).

Qualifying began in the early afternoon, taking advantage of a first round where Sara and Luis rode together, each setting the fastest lap in their category while keeping the other in their slipstream respectively. Without effort, they achieved a normal but competent qualifying result, as Luis explained, the Valencia criterium does not require a good position on the grid.

In the mid-afternoon, the women's race began. A long circuit with long straights, pure speed, and a low technical profile, the Valencia Criterium is one of the fastest races on the national circuit. Knowing this, and in excellent physical condition, it was the French rider Margaux Frenchy (@gomarrun) of the Santafixie BLB Team who set a blistering pace for her rivals. With a five-lap circuit, these weren't enough for Sara to unleash her full potential, despite warming up since the amateur race. However, she had her own difficult battle, neck and neck, against Guancha (@guanchiviris), a rider from the Sleep Walkers Team, ultimately securing a well-deserved second place.

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In the men's race, the last event of the afternoon, the circuit consisted of 15 laps, a total of 30 kilometers of fast-paced racing where our rider Luis averaged 42 km/h – simply incredible. It was a race where the peloton never quite broke up and attacks were constant, with Luis responding to the most dangerous riders in a challenge of understanding his rivals. With four laps to go to the finish line, Luis launched an attack that disrupted the established race structure. Two laps from the finish, the peloton was close behind, but that's when he unleashed his sprint, securing his first podium finish of the season.

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The result of the day has been nothing less than a great day in which Sara and Luis reversed roles and equalized the score after the data of the Lugones criterium, a gold and a silver each that they will carry with them to where they are already directing their gaze, the ; Kantoikrit ; of Oñati, next July 14.

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It's great to bring you good news like this, and we're sure we'll bring you even better from Oñati. But above all, it's great to see this whole criterium craze come together with such a high-quality group of riders, sponsors, collaborators, and spectators. Even though the fixed-gear trend is fading, criteriums are still going strong. Those of us who love urban and pure cycling continue to dream that one day it will become a federated sport, as has already happened in Italy.