Jon Aberasturi, in the stage of the Vuelta a España ending in Laredo, where he thought he had options. /
Jon Aberasturi | Cyclist
The Alava sprinter leaves the Caja Rural and returns to the World Tour hand in hand with Trek-Segafredo with less responsibility but the same ambition
Jon Aberasturi rests in Vitoria after having completed his fourth participation in the Vuelta a España. It has returned with a bittersweet flavor, as it has been seen with legs to have fought some stage for a position on the podium, although in the end it has had to settle for three sixth places and one tenth. He begins to think about his future as a Trek-Segafredo rider, but he still has three races left with Caja Rural, where he has played for the last three years.
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How did your body stay after finishing the Vuelta?
– Tired. What he asked me was to sleep. And you don’t know if you are hungry or want to rest. We hope to turn it around in the next few days.
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And what aftertaste does it have?
– I was going with the ambition to win a stage, but then you find that it is very difficult to get a good position in the war with the World Tour. In some days I have seen myself with legs to do better. The day of Laredo I mentalized as if it were a World Cup, but it could not be. I think a podium could have been achieved.
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What has he lacked then?
– Placement. The Tour of Spain is always the one that is the hardest for me to find a place. Some day I have placed myself better and others it has been impossible for me to do anything. Being in a team like Caja Rural means risking your life in the last two kilometers and they respect you somewhat less than the World Tours.
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What day did you see could be ahead?
– The one in La Manga. In the absence of 500 meters I had the option to go forward, but a corridor closed me against the fence and it was impossible. That sprint was fast and I was left with the feeling that people were no better than me. Excluding Jakobsen who pitched well, the rest saw me being ahead. The day in Laredo was going very well too, despite the fact that the finish was twisted and narrowed to 400 meters. It was going forward and braking.
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Do you know what you are going to race before the end of the cycling year?
– Yes. I am going to Luxembourg from the 14th to the 18th, I will return home for a few days and then I will make Croatia at the end of the month to finish in France, in the Tour de Vendée.
New ambitions
«I would like to win at the Giro. They are buzzard endings that adapt to my characteristics »
«I have worked it»
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I imagine that he will be happy with his return to a World Tour squad?
– Of course. It’s something I’ve been looking for since I went to Japan. I saw that he had the level of those who dispute the important races. When you are in a sprint with these people and sometimes you think you could even beat them, you have that feeling. I have looked for it and I have worked it. It has arrived at the last minute, although I thought it was going to be complicated.
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Did you ever think that you would not return to a top team?
– Yes. I had the feeling that it was my last chance and it would be necessary to realize that I would have to be a runner to achieve the maximum victories for a team of the Caja Rural level.
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When did the talks begin for your signing for the Trek?
– In Slovenia. I had a good year with several places in the top three and there the first day I was second. Then in the third stage was when I beat people like Trentin and Mori and that helps. If they were in doubt about catching me or not, that cleared up everything.
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Sign for two years, a period of certain tranquility.
– If they had given me a season alone, doubts or a certain fear would have arisen, but that’s how you face it in a different way. Josu Larrazabal knew me from Euskaltel and the doctor also contacted me. They sent me the pre-contract and then the document that must be presented to the UCI. It was pretty quick.
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Do you see that your conditions can fit the team?
– Josu told me what they wanted from me. You know I’m not going to have any ego. His idea is to make a group of five runners for the sprint, with Moschetti’s trump card and mine depending on the finish profile. There will be days that you will have to throw away to help you and others will be the other way around. There will be a calendar that will coincide with Pedersen or Stuyven and everything will be valued at all times.
Autoexigencia
“In the Caja Rural he put a lot of pressure on me because I saw that it was the runner who had to answer”
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Is your return to the World Tour coming at the right time?
– Definitely. In these two years is when I am walking the most, both in the sprints and in the climbs. I am more consistent and mature than before. I have years to continue performing.
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Where would you like to win with the Trek?
– At the Giro d’Italia. They are arrivals many times that have crumbs, that end up in a slope, something mousetraps. They adapt to my characteristics, although you have to run it first. If I had a chance, I wouldn’t miss it.
– Being on a World Tour ensures you a level schedule.
– Of course. In the Caja Rural I have had a calendar a la carte. I have been pampered and on Trek it will be a schedule that suits me. They look for the best options for cyclists. It is a large group that looks at everything in detail. I will have a very good calendar and with more finals than I have had now. Most will be for the sprint.
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Having people like Mollema or Nibali next to you, what does it tell you?
– We are all people. You realize that they can be the most normal in the world and others who are not so well known may have more ego or be weirder. I’m going to be fine and I hope to adapt as well as possible.
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It is also true that on a World Tour you will feel the pressure more, right?
– Can be. Although in a certain way each one puts it. I got into the Caja a lot because I saw that it was the runner who had to respond and in principle with the best ability to win. On the Trek, sometimes I will have to do other work and the pressure will be different. I am very self-demanding, but I am going to sleep more peacefully than I can sleep now in the Caja Rural.
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