Durango: Karolina Perekitko in the top 15, Nadia Gontova on her heels

May 21, 2025, 02:24 AM

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Photo credit : Quentin Photographie BE

During Durango - Durango Emakumeen Saria, the two climbers from the French team clung to the leading group for as long as possible before giving way on the final climb. A remarkable collective performance (third best team). Constance Valentin, 25th, collected, just like her teammates Karolina Perekitko and Nadia Gontova, a few UCI points.

Bis repetita. Karolina Perekitko and Nadia Gontova have been inseparable over the past few days. Both finishing 1'45'' behind today's winner Isabella Holmgren (Lidl-Trek), the inseparable team gave it their all in a chaotic finale. While the Canadian was at the front of the small group 18 km from the finish line for 1 kilometer, she unfortunately fell behind on the descent. "She's made progress in this area. Due to a small break, she wasn't able to come back", analyzed sports director Damien Pommereau.

As for her partner Karolina Perekitko, she fell behind a few hundred meters later, "in the toughest sections, a kilometer from the summit." She was eventually caught by her partner under the red flame. The two runners ultimately finished 15th and 17th. A day with a slight hint of disappointment. "It's frustrating. They had the physique for at least one of the two runners to make the top 10", says Damien Pommereau."But the team is there."

Karolina Perekitko : "I'm staying motivated"

"The race was tough, even on the flat, and we stayed together. The real race started on the final climb. I wanted to be among the leaders, but I was a little tired. It was impossible to keep up with them. These kinds of situations happen, but I'm staying motivated and looking forward to Burgos."

Nadia Gontova : "Make the race tough"

"The plan was to attack and make the race tough to help Karolina Perekitko finish. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to build up a gap to go solo, so I rode at the front to narrow the gap on the final climb."

Riders' standings :

15th - Karolina Perekitko

17th - Nadia Gontova

25th - Constance Valentin

39th - Kiara Lylyk

40th - Fiona Mangan