Arlenis Sierra with Movistar

Havana, October 4 (RHC) - Cuban star cyclist Arlenis Sierra returned to the top five in a World Tour road race, finishing fifth in the Tre Valli Varesine, raced over 88.9 km in Verese, in the Italian region of Lombardy.

In her penultimate road race of the season, Spain's Movistar Team's star signing this season stayed in the fight all the way against the best climbers on the planet, including the winner, Olympic medalist Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek - Segafredo).

Longo entered the finish line alone with 2h18:04 escorted by Veronica Ewers (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB), 26 seconds behind, and Ane Santesteban (Team BikeExchange - Jayco), 34 seconds behind.

Santesteban led a group of 10 riders who crossed the finish line with the same time, in which rode the stellar Elisa Bálsamo (Trek - Segafredo, fourth), Arlenis, Amanda Spratt (Team BikeExchange - Jayco, sixth), and the Spanish Mavi García (UAE team, eleventh).

The Cuban rider raced this Tuesday as captain of Movistar in the absence of Olympic and world champion Annemiek Van Vleuten and was the only rider from her club placed among the first fifteen.

Before the race, the organizers gave the Cuban rider the bib number 1, given her status as the winner of the first women's edition of the Tre Valli in 2021.

In her debut season with the famed Movistar, Arlenis (29) has lived up to expectations with podium finishes in several elite races, including the overall win at the Vuelta a Andalucía, Ruta del Sol, (Spain), and a remarkable sixth place at the World Road Championships in Australia.

To culminate the season, the illustrious daughter of Manzanillo - eastern region of Cuba - only remains to compete in the First Women's Tour de Romandie (Switzerland), from next 7 to 9, a race that will officially close the 2021-2022 season of the UCI Women's WorldTour.

Movistar leader and world champion Annemiek Van Vleuten, who will debut the queen of the world jersey in Wollongong, Australia, will return to the Swiss race.