The Ecuadorian cyclist Richard CarapazOlympic champion of route at Tokyo 2020, was awarded this Sunday his first national specialty crownheld in the city of Tulcán, the capital of the Andean province of Carchi, on the Colombian border.
Carapacewhich has been linked since this year to the American team EF Education-EasyPost, prevailed over its compatriots and cousins Alexander Cepeda, his teammate on the North American team; and Jefferson Cepedafrom the Spanish team Caja Rural-Seguros RGA.
The final dispute was tight and awaited in the final stages, reflected in the scores set, as Carapaz (winner of the Giro d’Italia in 2019) reached first place with a time of 4 hours, 11 minutes and 48 seconds, same as Jefferson. Cepeda who finished second and one minute behind Alexander Cepeda.
Carapaz once again presented his experience and category in the final sprint in the last six kilometers, as he did in the Giro d’Italia and also in the Tokyo Olympics.
The local organization took advantage of the fact that local elite cyclists were just beginning their preparation for international competitions and the permits they were granted to participate in the National Road Championship, which featured mostly local cyclists who part of foreign teams.
For its part, in the women’s division, first place went to Ana Vivar (Movistar-BesPC) with 3 hours, 55 minutes and 54 seconds; 3 seconds behind Michela Molina (Azuay Sports Federation) and Esther Galarza (Independiente) with a time of 3:56:14.
In the Sub’23 category, Nixon Romero from Team Banco Guayaquil came first, with a time of 3:26:38; followed by Edison Velásquez (3.35.08) from Team Pichincha; and Jhoffre Imbaquingo (3.35.10) also from Team Banco Guayaquil.
Source: La Verdad
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