Nick Bangert and Manuela Muresan win the VI EPIC Gran Canaria

The EPIC Gran Canaria has crowned its champions. This sixth edition has been epic, and its champions faced a tough challenge in securing the most demanding title in the race's history. Nick Bangert convincingly emerged as the fastest man in the EPIC Gran Canaria RIU Hotels & Resorts, while the women's title went to the already historic champion of this competition, Romanian cyclist Manuela Muresan.

 

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With perfectly clear skies and ideal conditions for the second day, today's stage allowed its more than 420 athletes to showcase their best form, although reaching the level of the champions was a challenge only a select few could achieve. In the men's race, Nick Bangert finished with a time of 2 hours, 52 minutes, and 1 second (2h 52' 01”), followed by the strongest leading group, with 29-time Grand Tour winner and Tour de France top-10 finisher Haimar Zubeldia pushing hard to ultimately finish second with a time of 2 hours, 52 minutes, and 18 seconds (2h 52' 18”). Joining them on the podium was the fastest Canary Islander, Blas Arturo Rivero, in third place with a time of 2 hours and 32 seconds (3h 00' 32”).

 

 

In the women's category, the most solid champion of the EPIC Gran Canaria RIU Hotels & Resorts, the Romanian Manuela Muresan, dominated with a time of 3 hours, 35 minutes and 48 seconds (3h 35' 48”), ahead of the second finisher Raquel Arostegui with a time of 3 hours, 47 minutes and 5 seconds (3h 47' 05”) and the cyclist from the Netherlands, Chantal Mariëlle Boer , who stopped the clock at 3 hours, 48 ​​minutes and 6 seconds (3h 48' 06”).

 

 

 

 

Starting from the RIU Palace Maspalomas hotel, the second stage concluded with a single, fast, and challenging 75-kilometer time trial , featuring a 22-kilometer uphill climb from the Mirador viewpoint. The route tested the cyclists on a course that passed through Fataga and ended in Tirajana , reaching an altitude of 925 meters, with an elevation gain of 810 meters and average gradients of 4%.

 

From the opening minutes, Italian Luca Riaggio broke away from the peloton to begin pushing the pace on a tough day of cycling, where yesterday's breakaway group once again dominated, leaving no room for the other rivals. The duel between Haimar Zubeldia, Nick Bangert, and Blas Arturo Rivero set the tone throughout the race, with only seconds separating them and generating maximum excitement. Haimar Zubeldia, the accomplished road, track, and cyclocross rider who has won several medals in over a decade of professional career, showcased his talent and experience, shining in the second stage with a 17-second advantage over the German rider, yesterday's winner. Blas Arturo stayed right in the mix, putting the competitors under pressure with a steady and consistent pace, creating a feast of top-level cycling on one of the island's most popular routes.

 

 

 

For her part, Manuela Muresan had no rival, finishing more than 10 minutes ahead of Raquel Arostegui and Chantal Mariëlle Boer , retaining her 2022 title and consolidating herself as the female benchmark of the race.

 

The second stage culminated in a grand cycling celebration upon arrival in the village of Tunte, with live music from the Charanga Archipiélago band filling the town center with sporting energy. Following the competition and a celebratory gathering to recharge, the downhill cycling tour of southern Gran Canaria began, providing excellent promotion for the island along one of the most sought-after routes for cyclists. Passing through Santa Lucía, La Era, Vecindario, Doctoral, and Bahía Feliz via the GC-65 and GC-500 roads, the more than 420 competitors were cheered on by spectators and fans who applauded them at every turn, along with various percussion groups, costumed characters, and the traditional "devil" who made appearances along the 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" they enjoyed today, allowing them to make up for yesterday's rainy stage. This year, the Bike Division team had a special distinction , painting the peloton orange with the largest group in the race, having come from Italy and showcasing the best of the island to all of Europe.

 

The EPIC Gran Canaria Riu Hotels & Resorts will begin preparing its 2024 edition tomorrow, in a race that continues to grow and is expected to do so without rest as the first event on the cycling calendar, integrated into the UCI International Cycling Calendar and as a qualifying event in the Gran Fondo World Tour.