The cyclist from Villarrobledo, Gema Tornero, was crowned Spanish Champion in the Omnium discipline at the recent Spanish championship held at the Galapagar velodrome.
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Gema Tornero, who is part of the cadet category of the Castilla la Mancha selection team, was received at the City Hall by the Mayor, Valentín Bueno, along with the sports councilor, Miguel Hergueta, accompanied by her three teammates, Daniel Alfaro, José Luis Tornero, and Pedro Pulpón, who also participated in this championship, in both Omnium and Madison modalities.
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All of them trained at the Villarrobledo Cycling Club under the guidance of José Luis Tornero, who also attended this reception, along with the families of the cyclists who now compete for clubs in the region and the country, always achieving success with Villarrobledo as their flag.
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The Mayor congratulated Gema Tornero on this new victory, as well as the three cyclists who, with effort and commitment, managed to reach the Spanish Championship, competing with the Regional Team, starting from their early days at our city’s Cycling Club and maintaining, despite their young age, a level of discipline that they balance with their studies, as Bueno affirms, is to recognize and value.
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The Mayor also values the work that the Cycling Club in Villarrobledo has been doing for so many years, training boys and girls who now compete for clubs throughout Spain, competing at a high level and with a great future ahead.
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Words of recognition also for the families, as Valentín Bueno acknowledges the effort they make to support their children in their sporting endeavors.
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José Luis Tornero, the head of the Villarrobledo Cycling Club and father of Gema Tornero, explains that the Omnium discipline is the most demanding and tough in track endurance cycling. It consists of 4 tests that cyclists perform on the same day, requiring a high level of strategy and concentration.
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He points out that, in this Spanish Championship, Gema spent around 5 hours on the bike, which speaks to the demanding nature of the test and the level of concentration it entails.
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This level of demand comes from the entire season because to qualify for the Spanish Championship, cyclists must earn a minimum number of points in previous tests, which, as Tornero points out, have been very «compressed» this year in terms of time, impacting their ability to arrive in optimal conditions for the national competition.
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For José Luis Tornero, it is a pride that boys and girls trained in the local club are competing at a national level, achieving victories and highlighting their courage in competing in a velodrome, where speeds exceeding 60 km per hour are reached, with the handicap of not being able to train in a velodrome since, as he points out, the Villarrobledo track «is very good» but cannot compare to a velodrome, emphasizing the merit of these athletes.
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On her part, Gema Tornero mentions that this victory was «a surprise» as she entered the Championship without expectations, due to unsatisfactory results in the Copa España, with a challenging week of studies, so she did not expect to podium, making it a «great joy» to see the goal achieved after so much work and effort.
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Gema is not yet 16 years old but is working on managing the pressure and nerves before the competition, gaining experience and learning in each race she competes in.
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She also calls for more female presence in cycling since there are modalities in which she cannot compete due to a lack of female cyclists in the category. She adds that it is a beautiful sport that you get hooked on once you get to know it.
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Encouraged by Gema Tornero to continue in the world of cycling, taking small steps at her own pace, understanding that reaching the elite level is difficult but always enjoying what she loves and for now, finishing her high school studies, which she admits can be challenging at times, and on weekends, proudly representing Villarrobledo in every competition.
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Her selection teammates recount that the experience at a Spanish Championship is always very motivating, although they regret that the results did not accompany them, they continue to train with the same discipline to face the upcoming regional championships.
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A sport they enjoy, where they meet many people, colleagues with whom they share the love for cycling, visiting new places, incorporating the values of sport into their lives, and living experiences that will help them in their development as adults.