There was no better time to do it. The day that Manolo Azcona, the alma mater of the Kern Pharma structure, died at the age of 71, Pablo Castrillo achieved a historic victory for the pharmaceutical team in the twelfth stage of the The Tour of Spain.
The Aragonese was able to finish in the breakaway of the day and took the first Spanish victory in this edition of La Vuelta. Castrillo proved to be the strongest man in the breakaway on the final climb to the Manzaneda mountain station and ended up taking a heartbreaking victory.
This is Kern Pharma’s first victory in La Vuelta, a day that will remain in the history of this structure and of national cycling. It is the triumph of a second division team, which is in the race for the organizer’s invitation and has found the reward for so much insistence and incredibly hard work.
The best possible tribute.
Pablo Castrillo (@pablocastrillo_) wins the first Spanish victory in #LaVuelta24! #VueltaRTVE29A
The first victory in the history of @EqKernPharma The day came when its former president Manolo Azcona lost his life.
Life and cycling. pic.twitter.com/i5McvcLDo2
– Télédeporte (@teledeporte) August 29, 2024
Since Ángel Madrazo won with Burgos BH in Javalambre in 2019, no guest team has been able to win La Vuelta again. It took five years, in an increasingly competitive cycling, to witness a similar feat.
Castrillo raised his fingers to the sky as he crossed the finish line in memory of Manolo Azcona. He had to suffer until the last meter because Max Poole threatened to steal his wallet in the final moments, but the price of glory was worth all the effort and leg pain.
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