Arlenis Sierra will compete from today until September 14 in the 19th edition of the Tour de l'Ardèche, in France, a week before the World Road Cycling Championships

Havana, September 8 (RHC)-- Cuba's top cyclist in the last decade, Arlenis Sierra, will compete from today until September 14 in the 19th edition of the Tour de l'Ardèche, in France, a week before the World Road Cycling Championships, scheduled for September 19-26 in Belgium.

Among 205 elite riders from 20 multinational teams, the Manzanillo-born rider leads the A.R. Monex Women's Team, which has entered the Mexican Ariadna Gutíerrez, the Italians Katia Ragusa and María Victoria Sperotto, the Russian Mariia Miliaeva and the French rider Jade Teolis.

Last August 29, the Cuban was champion in the Giro della Toscana in Italy, where Sierra, also a starter in the previous edition, held the lead during the three stages of this classic world road race.

According to the statistics of the International Cycling Union, in 2019 Arlenis Sierra, then captain of the Astana Women's Team, finished ninth in Ardeche, in the general classification won by the legendary Dutch Marianne Vos, who dominated five of the seven stages, led the points competition and was close to conquering also the leadership of the mountain goals.

This time again there will be seven stages in the same number of days, from Ardèche the Tour will cross the neighboring departments: Drôme, Le Gard, La Lozère and Vaucluse, the organizing committee announced on the event's website.

The stages will be Aubenas-Barjac, 111.95 kilometers (km), Anneyron-Beauchastel (122.64 km), 133.858 km circuit in Avignon, Aumont-Aubrac-Mont Lozère (119.565 km), 113.5 km circuit in St-Jean-en-Royans, Anduze-Goudargues (138.52 km) and Le Pouzin-Privas (81.534 km).