These are the weeks of Paula Ostiz in the junior peloton. The Spanish top talent also crowned herself European champion in the junior women's category on Friday. Ostiz finished ahead of Anja Grossman in Guilherand-Granges. The Netherlands and Belgium played minor roles on Friday.
The junior women completed a 62-kilometer course in the Ardèche on Friday afternoon, which included three climbs of the Val d'Enfer (1.5 kilometers at 10.5%). The 18-year-old Ostiz, after her world title in Rwanda last week and European time trial title this week, was the top favorite but faced strong competition in France, including from the Dutch rider Megan Arens.
In Guilherand-Granges, everything came down to the final lap. At the penultimate finish line passage, about twenty riders crossed the line together, including Ostiz, Grossmann, Arens, Oda Aune Gissinger, Pegola, Elena De Laurentiis, Daniela Hezinová, Maria Okrucińska, and Thais Poirier. The gap to the second group—which included only Mirthe Mons from the Netherlands—remained manageable at around 25 seconds.
Ultimately, everything hinged on the last climb of Val d'Enfer, five kilometers from the finish. There, Ostiz and Grossmann succeeded in breaking away from the rest, while Arens had to drop back from the world title fight. In the sprint, the Spanish rider managed to shake off her Swiss rival. The final medal went to the Italian Chantal Pegolo.
UEC Road European Championships U19| Rank | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 01:46:47 | |
| 2 | " | |
| 3 | + 03 | |
| 4 | " | |
| 5 | + 05 | |
| 6 | " | |
| 7 | " | |
| 8 | " | |
| 9 | " | |
| 10 | + 07 |
