Bouhanni wins the Getxo Circuit-XV Memorial Ricardo Otxoa

Nacer Bouhanni showed his power in the sprint finish to win the Circuito de Getxo-XV Memorial Ricardo Otxoa. He proved the forecasts right. The French-Algerian cyclist showcased his great talent, the talent of a cyclist who has made a name for himself in his career, to achieve his seventh victory of the year. He still has time to turn his season around and sees himself on the launch pad towards a great Tour. We are not talking about just any rider: he left FDJ in a cloud of dust to sign with Cofidis for two years, and last year he won two stages of the Vuelta (in San Fernando and Albacete, here, on August 30, 2014, with the controversy of sticking out his arm and impeding Michael Matthews' progress) and three stages of the Giro (plus the points classification). He left the Spanish race in the Top 15 as part of a planned strategy to arrive fresher for the World Championships in Ponferrada. Shortly after, he openly criticized Madiot referring to the bad relations at FDJ, which angered the team manager, who decided to sanction him and not let him race for the rest of the season.

The fact is that Bouhanni has come out determined this year to prove that they were wrong to marginalize him. He didn't bring any special memories from the recent Tour, where he abandoned after a collective crash, just like Juanjo Lobato did in the Giro. The two riders fought for victory in a crowded Getxo, with dangerous areas due to the previously fallen rain that turned the corners into slippery tracks. It is traditional for the finish to be contested by a small group. In 2011, the finish line was relocated to provide more spectacle but it brought back memories of old times, when sprinters crowded the Muelle de Arriluce. Now the area doesn't attract pure sprinters because it goes uphill. The final 700 meters present an ascent from the Ereaga beach to the Txomintxu-Arkotxa wall, with ramps of up to 14%. The Frenchman sprinted like a bull. Carlos Barbero finished third (he had a heated argument with Lobato, accusing him of cutting him off) and Rojas finished fourth, completing a group of renowned specialists in sprints.

The honorary director of the race, Dutchman John Talen, performed the ceremonial ribbon cutting after the aurresku of honor before the start, with the cloudy sky hiding the sun and sending rain throughout the race. There was an early storm, while the circuit was being set up, and there were crashes, like Txurruka's in the second lap, although without consequences as he managed to enter among the top ten. We didn't have to wait long for breakaways. In the first of the ten laps around the 17-kilometer circuit, Imanol Estévez, Lluís Mas, Igor Boev and Pablo Torres broke away, with an advantage that never exceeded three minutes. The Russian suffered a puncture and was swallowed up by the peloton. The other three collaborated as a team. The second lap had a slower pace than the first. Cofidis and Movistar controlled the group, the latter in support of Rojas, making sure the breakaways were within reach. Jaimerena's team had three out of the top six positions in the classification and was recognized as the best team in the race. Rusvelo also showed up at the front, waiting. Then Igor Antón and Firsanov made a move, bridging the gap between the breakaways (one minute ahead) and the peloton (half a minute behind). Estévez made a final effort at the Txomintxu-Arkotxa climb and secured the mountain prize. He was also caught, and before the final skirmish, Rubén Fernández (Movistar) made a move.

At the penultimate passage through the finish, everything was still open. A new race. Cofidis lit the fuse to do the work for Bouhanni, who completed the strategy with great class. Torres won the combativity award.

GETXO CIRCUIT CLASSIFICATION

1. Nacer Bouhanni (FRA/Cofidis) 4:02:41 2

2. Juan Jose Lobato (Movistar) same time

3. Carlos Barbero (Caja Rural-RGA) same time

4. Jose Joaquin Rojas (Movistar) at 0.3

5. Roman Maikin (RUS/Rusvelo)

6. Enrique Sanz (Movistar) at 0.5

7. Angel Madrazo (Caja Rural-RGA)

8. Ibai Salas (Burgos-BH)

9. Egoitz García (Murias)

10. Amets Txurruka (Caja Rural) at 0.08