Cuban cyclist Arlenis Sierra was the first Movistar Team rider to cross the finish line in the Ceratizit Challenge, besides leading the defense of Annemiek van Vleuten's overall leadership.
Havana, September 10 (RHC)-- Cuban cyclist Arlenis Sierra was the first Movistar Team rider to cross the finish line in the Ceratizit Challenge, besides leading the defense of Annemiek van Vleuten's overall leadership.
Sierra finished fifth, during the third of the five stages of the race belonging to the World Tour, eight seconds behind the winner, Australian Grace Brown, who timed 2:28:37 hours, according to the results of the official website of the event that took place in Cantabria, Spain.
Behind Brown came Switzerland's Elise Chabbey, with the same time, in a very hard final attack.
Then finished the Italian multiple world medalist in track and road and holder of the main event of the last universal road championship Elisa Balsamo, and the Belgian double world title holder in track Lotte Kopecky, with the same time as the Cuban.
Also that time was that of the Dutch Van Vleuten, the best road racer in the world and leader of Movistar Team, placed 10th in the stage, of 96.5 kilometers (km) from Camargo to Aguilar de Campoo.
The general classification did not change, as Van Vleuten dominates, now with an accumulated time of 5:49:01 hours, 1:55 minutes ahead of the Italian Elisa Longo and 2:24 of the Dutch Demi Vollering.
For her part, Sierra, a 29-year-old from Manzanillo, climbed five places to 16th, with 5:54:02.
Movistar Team reported on its Twitter profile the constant duo formed by "Miek" and Sierra at the front of the peloton, as well as the actions of the Cuban "hunting" those who tried to escape.
With "steep hills, wind and tension", with 21 km to go there were attacks, but Sierra and Van Vleuten stayed with the best, then the Dutchwoman closed a gap and returned the Cuban to the front of the race.
During the previous day, when Van Vleuten reached the top of the race, Sierra stood out to ensure the options of the Dutchwoman, main function within the blue team, completed in this race by the Danish Emma Noorsgaard, the Norwegian Katrine Aalerud, the French Aude Bianic and the Spanish Sarah Martin.
Today, in the fourth and penultimate day, the 22 competing multinational teams will face 160.5 km from Palencia to Segovia.
