What a race we have lived today in Schladming! There were still some podium positions to be decided in this competition and we were all expecting a very hard race. And so it has been. In the first two laps, there has been a leading group of around ten riders, that has been broken by the attack of Julien Absalon. The French rider has opened a gap over the chasing group, that was commanded by Hermida. However, the difference was never above 10 seconds. Just as the Multivan-Merida rider sais “Näf has broken his chain and Absalon has attacked in that moment and has tried to open a gap. I have taken the responsibility and I have pushed hard in order to maintain that difference. Luckily, I have seen the gap was not increasing. If Absalon was not going away, it was because he was not strong enough to escape from us”.

Hermida has closed the gap gradually, with no intensive attacks and has kept the necessary energies to catch Absalon and go away for a solo victory. “I was feeling really strong on the uphills. I was trying to keep energies in order to get to him and attack him immediately. After getting on his wheel, I have overtaken him and I have put a hard pace in the first of the ramps that has allowed me to open a gap; 1 second, 2, 3…”, explained Hermida.

But this has not been an easy race at all. Just as the Multivan-Merida explained “I have gone through a small crisis, a moment where I have had to keep my head cool and be able to withstand the effort and use my mental strength. Today I was fighting for the second spot in the overall; it was not easy, but I was feeling strong. I know riders repect me and I am aware I inspire some fear on competitors. There are two keys to win a race: not to make mistakes and win the psychological war. Today I have worked hard on both aspects, but mainly on the second of them”.

With this race, we can say that the season is over, a year that “I can consider the best in my career. I was only silver medal in the European Championships, but it is the first time I win two World Cups in the same year: the first and the last”. We also need to add the second spot in the World Cup overall standings and the the Spanish National title.

Hermida has been congratulated by a myth like Thomas Frischnecht, who has let him know that he has been the winner of the shortest World Cup round ever, just over an hour and fourty minutes.

Hermida wants to thank all those who support him (public, sponsors, team staff, family, friends…) to help him in another season in which he has searched the same objective as always: to give his best!