It all came down to the final 4.8-kilometer ascent in stage two of the Tour de San Luis and at the top it was Julián Arredondo out kicking Peter Stetina of BMC Racing to take a huge victory for the new Trek Factory Racing team. A small group sprinted in on their heels with Nairo Quintana of the Movistar team claiming third and Trek Factory Racing’s Haimar Zubeldia in sixth.
“The team did a fantastic job! They were all dedicated to Julián today, he is new to the team, but it is also a brand new team, and to have everyone come together like that today was special,” said sport director Alain Gallopin.
The team plan laid out by Gallopin was to work for both Haimar Zubeldia and Julián Arredondo, with the focus on a stage victory.
“Julián is not very good in the time trial,” explained Gallopin, “So we are not here to play for the overall – our goal is to win a stage.”
“I told Julián we are going to go for the real thing; we are not just going to show off the jersey, we are not here to make a show on the climb by attacking. You wait and follow and make one good sprint at the end for the win.”
After the unconventional first stage, day two played out in a more controlled and predictable manner. An early break of five riders was granted leave in the 170.6-kilometer race, but unlike stage one the quintet was kept on a short leash and never gained more than four minutes lead.
As the looming finish climb drew close, the pace in the peloton increased and the inevitable catch to the escapees was under way with less than 10 kilometers remaining. From this moment on it was a full-on war for position to the bottom of the grueling climb to see who would win the battle to the top. Trek Factory Racing helped set a blistering pace into the climb and when Peter Stetina made his move, Arredondo immediately jumped on his wheel. Together they worked to the top where Arredondo’s patience paid off, and he sprinted around the American to take the sweet victory.
“I cannot believe what just happened,” said an emotional Arredondo. “I thank God for this victory. In the last months I trained hard and was very focused on winning for the team, to thank them for their trust in me. I like very hot circumstances a lot. Just as I like short and explosive climbs. I didn’t realize how strong I was. You have no reference in the winter and there are many WorldTour teams here.”
For Arredondo, racing with Trek Factory Racing is a dream come true, and to pull off his first victory in his first race with the team was more than the Colombian could even imagine. With his win he also claimed first place in the mountains classification and will wear the red jersey in tomorrow’s stage.
“I feel so happy and grateful for this opportunity to race with such a big team. Let’s hope this is not the last victory for this team. A good shape is always a pleasure. I want to thank all my teammates for looking after Haimar and me today. I felt really strong and I’m so happy that I could finish their hard work. We’ll need to see what our goals for the rest of the week are. But one thing is sure: we’ll do the maximum. The team spirit is high!”
Teammate Haimar Zubeldia finished in sixth place only five seconds behind his teammate.
“The stage was quite hard, because of the last climb with five [kilometers] to go.There was some wind and the team did a great job sheltering Julián and myself,” explained Haimar. “Julián is enjoying some great form right now and he made a very good move by following Stetina. We expected that it could come down to a sprint between the strongest climbers, so we decided that would be our plan.”