Wout Alleman and Hans Becking win in a very tight sprint on the first stage

Txell Figueras and Claudia Peretti, the first to cross the finish line in the women's category in Bedmar

Bedmar was the venue for the opening stage of the 14th edition of the Andalucía Bike Race by Garmin. In this way, the race has returned to the town of Jaén, which already hosted a stage in the 2013 edition. Despite the light rain and the cool atmosphere, they did not prevent an enthusiastic crowd from gathering at the start to welcome the best XCM cyclists.

The stage, which was shortened by decision of the organizers due to safety reasons, had a distance of 21.24 km and a positive elevation gain of 786 metres. The intermittent rain and low temperatures added to the difficulty, making the cyclists take extreme precautions on the muddy trails of Sierra Mágina.

At the halfway point of the race, the men's favorites for the final victory, Wout Alleman and Hans Becking (BUFF®-Megamo Team), Andreas Seewald and Marc Stutzmann (Canyon Sidi MTB Team), Daniel Geismayr (Wilier-Vittoria) and Jakob Dorigoni (Torpado Kenda), Fabian Rabensteiner and Samuele Porro (Wilier Vittoria), were already forming the front group that arrived in Bedmar. In a thrilling sprint on the ramp before the finish, the Buff Megamo duo took the partial victory ahead of the Germans from Canyon Sidi and leads the overall by just two seconds.

At the finish, Alleman commented: "Because the stage was so short, we didn't know how it was going to unfold. From the start it went very fast; we tried to attack, but the Canyon guys chased us down again. In the end, we're happy with the victory, because it's the first race we've ridden together (with Hans Becking)". Becking added, "It's our first race together, but we've known each other for a long time. It's always exciting to know if we'll work together, and we're still smiling, so that's a good sign."

In the women's category, Txell Figueras and Claudia Peretti (Cannondale ISB) opened the partial winners' list of the race, achieving a lead of 1'20'' over the second classified, Monica Calderon and Tessa Kortekaas (Cannondale ISB). The third place on the podium went to Lejla Njemčević and Terese Andersson (Allebike Team).

Txell Figueras, in the finish area, recounted the development of the stage: "We all started together, riding easy. On the first trail, many girls put their feet on the ground, and I saw that Claudia was well placed, in the lead, and suddenly we attacked at the end of the first uphill trail, flat out". On the other hand, her team-mate Claudia Peretti admitted the change of route as a good thing: "It was positive; the temperature was low and with rain it could have been dangerous".

In a stage held in the heart of the Sierra Mágina Natural Park, the president of the Diputación de Jaén, Mr. Francisco Reyes Martínez, a native of Bedmar, highlighted the repercussions for the territory of holding three stages of the race in the province of Jaén. "The Provincial Council will continue to support this event; the Andalucía Bike Race shows that Jaén is a paradise for cycling".

STAGE AND GENERAL CLASSIFICATION - MEN

Wout Alleman - Hans Becking BUFF MEGAMO 00:49:55

Andreas Seewald - Mark Stutzmann CANYON SIDI MTB TEAM 00:49:57

Daniel Geismayr - Jakob Dorigoni WILIER-VITTORIA / TORPADO KENDA 00:50:04

STAGE AND GENERAL CLASSIFICATION - WOMEN

Txell Figueras - Claudia Peretti CANNONDALE ISB 01:03:52

Mónica Calderon y Tessa Kortekaas CANNONDALE ISB 01:05:12

Lejla Njemčević y Terese Andersson ALLEBIKE TEAM 01:05:34

Check the full rankings here

Tomorrow's stage will start from the Cathedral of Jaén in the direction of Pegalajar, we will go up to the Mirador de las Siete Pilillas to enjoy several beautiful trails before heading towards Mancha Real. Once there, we will return to Pegalajar, where the feeding area and mechanical assistance point will be located, via La Guardia de Jaén. Not because of its mileage, 64.79 kilometres and 2,227 meters of elevation gain, but because of its physical and technical demands, this second day is designed as the queen stage of the 14th edition of the Andalucía Bike Race by GARMIN as far as Jaén is concerned.

To follow the live times of each stage and the live classification, you can download the CronoChip Live app, available on App Store and Google Play.