Simon Yates (Orica-BikeExchange) bounced back from his suspension in the most beautiful manner by claiming his first win as a professional at the Prueba Villafrance- Ordiziako Klasika. The Brit powered clear of the peloton on the final climb and soloed to victory in Ordizia with a 36-second advantage over a four-rider chase group. Angel Madrazo (Caja Rural) beat Alexander Vdovin (Lokosphinx) in the sprint for second.

We have gathered a few reactions.

Simon Yates proud to take first pro win in Spain

Simon Yates carried on the family form for ORICA-BikeExchange by taking a solo victory at the Spanish one-day race Prueba Villafranca-Ordiziako Klasika today.

Twenty-four hours after twin brother Adam Yates won the white jersey and fourth overall at the Tour de France, Simon rounded off a great weekend for the Australian outfit with his firts victory as a professional.

Canadian strong man Christian Meier animated the early nine-rider breakaway before Australian Damien Howson moved up the field to perfectly set up Yates for the late attack.

The 23-year-old Briton brilliantly executed the final move, powering away from a group of around five riders on the final ascent towards the finish to cross the line over 30seconds ahead of his nearest challenger.

“I am really happy with this win,” said Yates. “It’s actually my first victory as a full professional and of course it is very special, especially in such a tough race.

“The team were fantastic today, we had to be really switched on from the first kilometre and tactically we got it spot on.

“I hope that I can carry this form into the upcoming races, but for sure I am going to enjoy this moment.”

Sport director Neil Stephens was pleased with the performance of Yates and ORICA-BikeExchange and praised the level of concentration from the six-man squad.

“We were very conscious of starting on the back foot today,” said Stephens. “We knew that we were quite heavily outnumbered by most of the other teams, therefore it was imperative that we stayed focused throughout the race.

“Massive credit to Simon (Yates) and the guys because they really played it perfectly today. It is a great result and our work ethic and attention levels were of the highest quality.

“It was an intense race from the off and we remained very alert. We knew that Simon has the ability to win here and the way we have achieved that is very satisfying.”

Angel Madrazo: This provest hat Caja Rural is on track for the Vuelta

Caja Rural - Seguros RGA kick-started the second part of the season in great fashion as Ángel Madrazo made podium in the Basque one-day race Prueba Villafranca - Clásica de Ordizia. The Spaniard, who turns 28 this week, won the race last year and proved once again to be amongst the best riders on the course this Monday.
 
Simon Yates (Orica-BikeExchange) took the win after a late solo attack, while Madrazo finished in second place as he won the sprint in a small chase group 34 seconds behind. Both Hugh Carthy (sixth) and Pello Bilbao (ninth) made Top10 in the race, ensuring Caja Rural - Seguros RGA won the team classification. Carthy was also awarded best young rider.
 
Ángel Madrazo said:

 “The team worked very hard since the beginning of the race. We had Carlos Barbero in the early breakaway and when he dropped off, we started pulling in the peloton. Everybody did a great job today. It’s a shame we missed out on the win. However, this second place shows we did well on our recent altitude training camp and it demonstrates that the team is on the right path for the up-coming Vuelta a España”

Javier Moreno bounces back from Giro disappointment with great ride in Ordizia

Two riders made the most notable efforts from the Movistar Team in the immediate palliative to the Tour de France hangover, the 165.7km Prueba Villafranca - Clásica de Ordizia (1.1) in the Basque Country, over five climbs of the Alto de Abaltzisketa and another two of the Alto de Altzo. José Herrada stayed in the day’s break for more than hundred kilometers after the Spaniard broke up the initial, nine-man group up front to keep a chance alive at the final lap through the Basque course.

On the other hand, Javi Moreno, back to his top level after the crash which took him out of the Giro d’Italia, tried his best to unsuccessfully chase solo winner Simon Yates (OBE). The Andalusian crossed the line in 4th in the first main group, only beaten by 2015 victor Ángel Madrazo (CJR) and Russia’s Alexander Vdovin (LOK). Jonathan Castroviejo finished in 14th place, with Andrey Amador in 19th.