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Lukáš Kubiš Secures Third Place at Gran Premio Castellón
Slovak cyclist Lukáš Kubiš started his 2026 season with a strong performance, finishing third at the Gran Premio Castellón classic. The race, held in Castellón-Onda over a 171.7 km course,saw Kubiš,riding for Unibet Rose Rockets,contend for his second professional victory.
Race Recap
Kubiš successfully navigated the two challenging climbs on the route to Onda, with the Collado de Ayódar summiting 11 km before the finish. He fought hard in the final sprint, ultimately finishing behind Australian Michael Matthews (Jayco AlUla), who claimed his first win as the 2025 Eschborn-Frankfurt classic . Between Matthews and Kubiš was 25-year-old Spaniard Pau Miquel, making his competitive debut with the Bahrain – Victorious World Tour team.
This marked Matthews’ second victory at the Gran Premio Castellón,which has only been running for three editions. Previously,António Morgado of UAE Emirates also secured a win in the region of Valencia.
VIDEO: Zostrih z pretekov Gran Premio Castellón 2026
Matthews Reflects on the Victory
“After Friday’s crash at Camp de Morvedre, the first part of the race was a challenge, but I felt better and better as it went on. The team believed in our chances of winning and worked hard all day, going full gas. We had the race under control for most of the day, and in the finale, we had three riders – Andrea Vendrame, Davide De Pretto, and myself – who could fight for the win. I was in good condition at the end, and I’m very happy to win this race again,” Matthews said in a statement released by his team.