2017 Circuito de Getxo (1.1), Spain
72nd edition: Monday, July 31, 2017
17th Memorial Ricardo Otxoa
Circuito de Getxo podium history | 2016 edition | 2018 edition
Getxo - Getxo; 10 laps of 17 km = 170 km
Carlos Barbero wins a rainy race
The race: Here's the story from winner Carlos Barbero's Movistar team.
Under insistent rain which made the race even harder, Carlos Barbero (Movistar Team) got back to winning ways and improved his already solid 2017 palmarès with a second career victory in the Circuito de Getxo, whose 72nd edition covered the classic, 10-lap, 170km circuit around the 'wall' of Arkotxa, next to the coast of Biscay in the Basque Country.
The Blues' work over the whole morning was flawless. Carretero, Arcas and Carapaz made it into an original, 13-man breakaway which ended up becoming the decisive group, the wear and tear of the race and the huge pace behind creating a group of 40 riders with all eight Movistar Team members. From that moment on, the squad directed by Pablo Lastras set its sights on protecting their leader.
Despite a strong attempt in the finale by Lluis Mas (CJR) and Daniel Díaz (DMP), the Movistar Team drove the selected bunch at high speed through the final lap and led Barbero out for the win, two seconds ahead of Ángel Madrazo (DMP, 2nd) and four over José Herrada, who took 3rd and repeated his result from 2016. This win also means that Eusebio Unzué's team has got 30+ wins for five years on a row, their current streak from 2013 being 32-34-32-36.
Carlos Barbero: "There was a break in the beginning, which we kept under control with Héctor, Arcas and Carapaz, and then the bunch split into one of the early laps. We were lucky enough to be all of us inside that pursuit group, so we chose to keep pushing, catch the break and carry on until the finish. My team-mates kept everything under control to avoid the race becoming as crazy as it was last season. Our main goal was reaching the sprint together. Everyone did a phenomenal job and I want to thank them for that. The team had a very clear idea in mind about racing for me, they relied on what I could do and fortunately I could deliver. At the finish Madrazo launched an early acceleration, I just followed his wheel and sought for my sprinting distance to finish things off.
"I've spent the whole month of July in Sierra Nevada, training in altitude to reach my late-season goals in good shape, especially the Vuelta a Burgos from tomorrow. It's my home race, one that I really like, and riding on known roads and with your close ones near you is a huge boost. Let's see what the team chooses for me up next - whatever it is, I'll do my best.
"I want to dedicate this victory to Alejandro Valverde. We really miss him a lot. Let's hope he's back soon. He's a reference for the whole team and his absence is a huge blow for all of us."
Complete Results:
170 kilometers raced at an average speed of 43.758 km/hr
| 1 | BARBERO Carlos | Movistar | 3hr 53min 6sec |
| 2 | MADRAZO Ángel | Delko Marseille Provence | 2sec |
| 3 | HERRADA LOPEZ José | Movistar | 4sec |
| 4 | FERNÁNDEZ Egoitz | Team Ukyo | s.t. |
| 5 | SPRENGERS Thomas | Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise | s.t. |
| 6 | REYES Aldemar | Manzana Postobon | s.t. |
| 7 | LIETAER Eliot | Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise | s.t. |
| 8 | DE GENDT Aimé | Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise | 6sec |
| 9 | SALAS Ibai | Burgos BH | 8sec |
| 10 | PRADES Benjamín | Team Ukyo | s.t. |
| 11 | NOPPE Christophe | Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise | 14sec |
| 12 | CARAPAZ Richard | Movistar | 18sec |
| 13 | PELEGRÍ Óscar | Caja Rural-Seguros RGA | s.t. |
| 14 | GONZÁLEZ Adrián | Euskadi Basque Country | 23sec |
| 15 | BOHORQUEZ Hernando | Manzana Postobon | s.t. |
| 16 | BIZKARRA Mikel | Euskadi Basque Country | 27sec |
| 17 | AGUIRRE Hernan Ricardo | Manzana Postobon | 30sec |
| 18 | LEVASSEUR Jordan | Armee de Terre | 36sec |
| 19 | POULHIES Stéphane | Armee de Terre | 51sec |
| 20 | SÁEZ BENITO Hector | Caja Rural-Seguros RGA | 59sec |
| 21 | ARROYO DURAN David | Caja Rural-Seguros RGA | 1min 5sec |
| 22 | CASTROVIEJO Jonathan | Movistar | 1min 7sec |
| 23 | ARCAS PEÑA Jorge | Movistar | s.t. |
| 24 | MAS BONET Luis | Caja Rural-Seguros RGA | s.t. |
| 25 | JARRIER Benoit | Fortuneo-Vital Concept | 1min 15sec |
| 26 | FONSECA Armindo | Fortuneo-Vital Concept | s.t. |
| 27 | LEBRETON Kevin | Armee de Terre | 1min 33sec |
| 28 | ARISTI GARDOKI Mikel | Delko Marseille Provence | 1min 37sec |
| 29 | GOMEZ Antonio | Kuwait-Cartucho.es | 1min 38sec |
| 30 | GAUDIN Damien | Armee de Terre | 1min 50sec |
| 31 | GUARDIOLA Salvador | Team Ukyo | 2min 13sec |
| 32 | GUYOT Yann | Armee de Terre | 2min 17sec |
| 33 | UDONDO Gotzon | Euskadi Basque Country | 2min 30sec |
| 34 | SMUKULIS Gatis | Delko Marseille Provence | 6min 49sec |
| 35 | DIAZ Daniel | Delko Marseille Provence | s.t. |
| 36 | WALLAYS Jens | Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise | 7min 30sec |
| 37 | JEANNESSON Arnold | Fortuneo-Vital Concept | 9min 2sec |
| 38 | MRAOUNI Salaheddine | Kuwait-Cartucho.es | s.t. |
| 39 | OSORIO Juan Felipe | Manzana Postobon | 11min 4sec |
| 40 | VILELA Ricardo | Manzana Postobon | s.t. |
| 41 | VIEJO REDONDO José Daniel | Unieuro Trevigliani | 12min 16sec |
| 42 | RODRIGUEZ John Anderson | Delko Marseille Provence | s.t. |
| 43 | MALATETXEBARRIA Oskar | Massi-Kuwait | s.t. |
| 44 | RAVANELLI Simone | Unieuro Trevigliani | s.t. |
| 45 | VIEL Mattia | Unieuro Trevigliani | s.t. |
| 46 | CASENY CATALA Ruben | Massi-Kuwait | s.t. |
| 47 | NUÑEZ Jose Carlos | Dare Viator Partizan | s.t. |
| 48 | HATANAKA Yusuke | Team Ukyo | s.t. |
| 49 | BOU Joan | Nippo-Vini Fantini | s.t. |
| 50 | FERRER Jorge | Massi-Kuwait | s.t. |
| 51 | FARAZIJN Maxime | Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise | s.t. |
| 52 | MOLTENI Marco | Unieuro Trevigliani | s.t. |
| 53 | GUTIERREZ José Manuel | Kuwait-Cartucho.es | s.t. |
| 54 | GEBREMEDHIN Awet | Kuwait-Cartucho.es | s.t. |
| 55 | TOKUDA Suguru | Team Ukyo | s.t. |
| 56 | SUAZA ARANGO Bernardo | Manzana Postobon | s.t. |
| 57 | OLABERRIA Pello | Euskadi Basque Country | s.t. |
| 58 | BOYS Matt | Kuwait-Cartucho.es | s.t. |
| 59 | ORJUELA Fernando | Manzana Postobon | s.t. |
| 60 | BOL Jetse | Manzana Postobon | s.t. |
| 61 | VEGA MERODIO Sergio | Unieuro Trevigliani | s.t. |
| 62 | JURADO RODRIGUEZ Marcos | Burgos BH | s.t. |
| 63 | SCHULTZ Nicholas | Caja Rural-Seguros RGA | s.t. |
| 64 | RODRIGUEZ Óscar | Euskadi Basque Country | s.t. |
| 65 | GONZÁLEZ PRIETO Aitor | Euskadi Basque Country | s.t. |
| 66 | QUIROZ Oscar Adalberto | Burgos BH | s.t. |
| 67 | FLAUTT Oliver | Massi-Kuwait | s.t. |
| 68 | NISHIMURA Hiroki | Nippo-Vini Fantini | s.t. |
| 69 | TXOPERENA Beñat | Euskadi Basque Country | 12min 25sec |
| 70 | DE NEGRI Pier Paolo | Nippo-Vini Fantini | 12min 27sec |
| 71 | FINETTO Mauro | Delko Marseille Provence | s.t. |
| 72 | LINARES Óscar | Burgos BH | s.t. |
| 73 | KOBAYASHI Marino | Nippo-Vini Fantini | s.t. |
| 74 | CABANAS QUINTELA Oscar | Massi-Kuwait | 12min 31sec |
| 75 | BARRENETXEA Ander | Euskadi Basque Country | 12min 47sec |