Nick Bangert and Manuela Muresan win the VI EPIC Gran Canaria

The EPIC Gran Canaria already has champions. This sixth edition has been epic, and its champions have not had it easy at all to win the most demanding title in the history of this event. Nick Bangert, has firmly established himself as the fastest of the EPIC Gran Canaria RIU Hotels & Resorts, in first place in women for the already historic champion of this competition, the cyclist from Romania, Manuela Muresan. 

 

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With completely clear skies and unmatched conditions for the second day, today's stage has allowed its more than 420 athletes to show their best version, although reaching the level of the champions was a challenge only up to a few. in masculine Nick Bangert He closed the total with 2 hours, 52 minutes and one second (2h 52' 01”), followed by the most powerful head of the race with the winner of 29 grand tours and top 10 of the Tour de France, Haimar Zubeldia, pushing firmly, finally arriving in second position with 2 hours, 52 minutes and 18 seconds (2h 52' 18”). He has been accompanied on the podium by the fastest canary, Blas Arturo Rivero, in third place with 2 hours and 32 seconds (3h 00' 32”). 

 

 

In women, the strongest champion of the EPIC Gran Canaria RIU Hotels & Resorts, the Romanian Manuela Muresan, has swept with a time of 3 hours, 35 minutes and 48 seconds (3h 35' 48”), with an advantage over the second at the finish line Raquel Arostegui with a time of 3 hours, 47 minutes and 5 seconds (3h 47' 05”) and the cyclist from the Netherlands, Chantal Marielle Boer, which stopped the clock with 3 hours, 48 ​​minutes and 6 seconds (3h 48' 06”). 

 

 

 

 

Starting from the RIU Palace Maspalomas hotel, the second of the stages closed the podium in a single, fast and tough timed section of 75 kilometers of route, with a time trial of 22 kilometers uphill from the Mirador. The route tested cyclists on a route that passes through Fataga to Tirajana, with 925 meters of altitude, a slope of 810 meters and average slopes of 4%. 

 

From the first minutes, the Italian Luca Riaggio He separated from the peloton to start pushing on a day of hard cycling, in which yesterday's leader once again won without a chance for the other rivals. The duel between Haimar Zubeldia, Nick Bangert and Blas Arturo Rivero He has been the one who has set the pace throughout the entire route, with just a few seconds between them and raising the expectation to the maximum. The outstanding road, track and cyclocross runner who won several medals in more than a decade of professional career, Haimar Zubeldia, imposed his talent and experience by showing off in the second stage, with a lead of 17 seconds over the German, yesterday's winner . Blas Arturo did not detach himself from this head-to-head, putting the competitors in a bind with a serious and constant pace, which has been a feast of the best cycling on one of the most popular routes on the island. 

 

 

 

For its part, Manuela Muresan has had no rival, with more than 10 minutes of difference with Raquel Arostegui and Chantal Mariëlle Boer, revalidating her 2022 title and consolidating herself as the female benchmark in the race. 

 

The second stage culminated in the arrival at the town of Tunte with a great cycling party, with live music from the Charanga Archipiélago that has flooded the urban area of ​​this hilltop town with sport. After the competition and the festive meeting to recharge our batteries, the cycling descent through the south of Gran Canaria began, the best promotion for the island from one of the most coveted routes for sports enthusiasts. With step by Santa Lucía, La Era, Vecindario, Doctoral and Bahía Feliz For the GC-65 and GC-500, the more than 420 competitors have been supported by the public and fans who applauded them at each curve, in addition to several batucadas, characters, and the traditional demon that has appeared throughout the race. route. 

 

 

Batucada, collective paella, troupe, Drag Queens, a live saxophonist and the idyllic image of the Dunes of Maspalomas were waiting for them upon their arrival, with a proposal that adds more athletes and followers every year and that has been taking off for six years to bring the island of Gran Canaria to more than 18 countries in the world from the bicycle and the warm Canarian winter. 

 

 

The cyclists celebrated the “spectacular day” that accompanied them today, where they were able to take revenge for yesterday's rainy day. In this edition the cycling army of the Bike Division, who have painted the peloton with the largest group in the race orange, coming from Italy and showing the best of the island to all of Europe. 

 

The EPIC Gran Canaria Riu Hotels & Resorts will begin preparing its 2024 edition tomorrow, in an event that does not stop growing and has the forecast of doing so without rest as the first event on the cycling calendar, integrated into the UCI International cycling calendar and as a qualifying test in the Gran Fondo World Tour.