Francesco Failli and Blaza Pintaric win the Flash Stage

They become the premier leaders of this 10th edition after a close stage

The tenth edition of the Andalucía Bike Race presented by Caja Rural Jaén kicked off with a 24.5-kilometer individual time trial with 1,119 meters of climbing that started and finished in front of Jaén’s cathedral. The Italian, Francesco Failli (ASD CICLI TADDEI), won the men’s elite category, while the Slovenian, Blaza Pintaric (Pintatim), took top honors in the women’s category. The FLASH STAGE was fast and technical with a climb in the first half of the race and a descent that plunged racers into the finishing stretch. 800 racers, sun, and a lively atmosphere were the day’s stars.

The Italian, Francesco Failli, was the surprise winner in the Flash Stage when he scored victory ahead of the grand favorites. With an energetic pace from the start zone, Failli ramped up the stage to its max. He beat his compatriots, Damiano Ferraro (Team Trek - Pirelli), and Fabian Rabensteiner (Team Trek - Pirelli) by three seconds.

In the women's category, Blaza Pintaric went for the stage win from the start and decided to use a good part of her strength on the first climb. She managed her efforts on the descent – keeping the next few days in mind – but even riding cautiously, she succeeded in winning by two seconds. Janika Loiv (Estonian National Team) followed closely in second, with Lea Davison (USA Cycling and Team TWENTY20) in third place.

Starting off from an unbeatable location in front of Jaén's cathedral, the racers took a tour of the city’s historic section, same as they had done in previous race editions. The day’s major climb up the Pincho ascent topped out on the peak of Jabalcuz, and then confronted racers with a final descent to the cathedral finish. Following the traditional ribbon cutting, British Master Women’s racer, Faith Addison, was in charge of opening this special edition of the Andalucía Bike Race presented by Caja Rural Jaén.

The day was sunny with perfect weather for mountain biking in Andalusia. Tomorrow’s second stage will be a marathon race format.

The podium in the elite categories is as follows:

Stage classification:

FLASH STAGE - Men

1 Francesco Failli (ASD CICLI TADDEI) 01:01:12

2 Damiano Ferraro (Team Trek - Pirelli) 01:01:15

3 Fabian Rabensteiner (Team Trek - Pirelli) 01:01:30

Once the stage was over, Francesco Failli (ASD CICLI TADDEI) said, "The first climb was hard with a lot of wind, but I was able to finish it well. It's difficult to go alone in a long time trial like this. The descent was also complicated, but we got through it. It's too early to think about the general classification. Now we're looking at each stage. Tomorrow will be a very different stage.”

FLASH STAGE - Women

1 Blaza Pintaric (Pintatim) 01:16:29

2 Janika Loiv (Estonian National Team) 01:16:31

3 Lea Davison (USA Cycling and Team TWENTY20) 01:17:13

Blaza Pintaric (Pintatim) remarked, "I didn't expect to win because I'm not a cross-country rider, but I like time trials. My plan was to go fast on the climbs and be more conservative on the downhills. I'm very happy with the victory.”

OFFICIAL RESULTS HERE

Tomorrow the first marathon stage will take place

The second stage of the Andalucía Bike Race presented by Caja Rural Jaén 2020 presents a route of 71.9 kilometers with 2,190 meters of climbing. It will also take place in the province’s capital city of Jaén, and it will stand out for its several diverse climbs and descents, which highlight the region’s Sierra Mágina range. On a technical level, the stage will be rolling with fluid sections of singletrack and a super-fast stretch into Pegalajar.

Consult the profile here