Algarve cyclist Daniela Campos was today ranked 15th in the under-23 women's long-distance race at the European Road Championships, which took place in the Belgian region of Limburg, with victory for Dutchwoman Sofie van Rooijen.
The 101,4-kilometre race, between the Zolder velodrome and the centre of Hasselt, started in thick fog and with temperatures below ten degrees. But two runners soon tried to warm up the race.
Czech Nela Slaníková and Danish Mikka Holm entered the Hasselt circuit, just over 70 kilometres from the finish, with around three minutes ahead of the peloton.
The breakaway held out until close to the start of the last of the five laps, due to the pursuit by teams aiming for a sprint finish.
It ended up being a race always contested at high speed, with the Portuguese Daniela Campos fulfilling the mission she was tasked with: staying well placed to be able to respond to any movement or to be in a good position for a massive sprint, if no attack emerged that would break the group.
What ended up breaking part of the peloton was a collective crash, already inside the final lap. Daniela Campos, well placed, came through unscathed. The last ten kilometers were of great intensity, with the blocks from the Netherlands and Italy choosing the pace that suited them best to ensure the fight for the European title in the sprint.
That's exactly what happened, and both countries took the entire podium. The Dutch took gold through Sofie van Rooijen and silver through Scarlett Souren. The Italian Eleonora Gasparrini took bronze.
The representative of Portugal crowned her excellent work with 15th place, in the same time as the winner, 2h26m21s, thanks to a strong and effortful sprint, in which she recovered several positions in the last 200 meters.
“I would have preferred the circuit to have more urban characteristics, with narrower roads and bends. What we found was a route that was almost always on wide roads, favouring the larger and stronger teams with pure sprinters. In this context, I am very happy with my performance and the final result”, says Daniela Campos.
The national women's coach, José Luis Algarra, was full of praise for the runner as soon as he met her after the race. “What you did here today was excellent and will be a milestone in your career. To achieve this classification, against opponents of this level, at the end of such a grueling season and three days after being sick is fantastic”, the coach told the cyclist.
On Friday afternoon, Portugal will be represented in the men's under-23 long-distance race by Gonçalo Tavares, João Silva and Noah Campos. The trio will start the 162-kilometre race at 12:30 p.m. The initial phase of the race will be the same as the women's race, starting in Hasselt and passing the finish line twice. However, after the second pass over the finish line, the peloton will leave the city and enter what will be the heart of the race and the decisions.
Two laps of the surrounding area will be required. Each lap will involve three cobbled sections and two walls. These are areas, mostly narrow roads, where the fight for position and the ability to maintain a good position will determine success. After this double lap of the outer circuit, the cyclists will return to Hasselt for another lap and a half of the urban circuit.
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