The Argentine Maximiliano Navarrete (Gremios por el Deporte-Yaco) was proclaimed champion of the Giro del Sol 2023, concluded this Sunday, January 8 in San Juan, Argentina, where the third and last stage was enjoyed, won by Leonardo Cobarrubia from San Juan of the team SEP San Juan.
The final stage of this official competition in Argentina had 174.8 as final mileage. After a time of 3:51:12 hours, the victory of the day corresponded to Cobarrubia, escorted by the Chilean Vicente Rojas Naranjo and the local Emiliano Contreras (Chimbas te Quiero).
Just two seconds behind the winner of the fraction, Navarrete crossed in the seventh box, who took the general lead of the race, with a small advantage of four seconds over Vicente Rojas himself and eight seconds also over Emiliano Contreras.
The stage started at 4:00 p.m. from inside the Villicum Circuit in Albardón. The race ended right there, but before that there was a great challenge… the always demanding road to Vallecito. Difficult stretch to cover, but for those of us who love cycling, faith in the Difunta Correa can do everything.
In the return of the Giro del Sol to the international calendar (the last time it had been in 2019), there were three exciting stages. The teams and cyclists put on a great show. The people accompanied them at all times and the race will be unforgettable.
First interview with the new champion
– What does it feel like to win a Giro del Sol with a UCI score? Are you aware of what you have won?
“The truth is that I am still not aware that I have won a very important race today as a UCI. The truth is that I still have not fallen. I want to go celebrate with my family and teammates. Call my family who stayed in Cutral Co – Neuquén, where he is from. I can’t believe it. Putting my name on a Giro del Sol is very important”.
– What were the keys to winning the race?
“The key was teamwork. We had three candidates to win, such as Laureano (Rosas), (Emiliano) Ibarra and myself. I just hooked the cut in the race, my teammates trusted me and thank God I didn’t let them down and we were able to win this race”.
– Give me your opinion about the level of the race, teams and stages.
“It was very demanding and with each passing day it became even more. The first day was flat, a bit calm. Then we went to Punta Negra, which is very hard terrain. And today we complete with La Difunta, which was a longer stage. But hey, with the team we were trained and prepared, we shined the work done”.
– Finally, the Vuelta a San Juan is coming. You will arrive as the winner of the Giro del Sol. Is it a plus for motivation?
“This victory motivates a lot for the Vuelta a San Juan. We are a good team and we have an important card to fight for from day one. And it is our captain Laureano Rosas. We are going to work so that he can shine and win as he knows how to do at an international level ”.
Source: Revista Mundo Ciclístico, www.sanjuan8.com; www.girodelsol.ar