Randol Izquierdo

Havana, March 7 (JIT) - Randol Izquierdo, of the national mountain bike team, leads the Copa 8 de Marzo de Ciclismo 2024, after dominating the second stage. He also won the mountain prize.

The avileño negotiated the 100 kilometers in 2:09.04 hours, ahead of his fellow escapees Ricardo Delgado and Alejandro Hernández (Cuba A), the master Vicente Sanabria (Matanzas), the Holguin-born Ángel Luis Pupo and the espirituano Brayan Mandín (EN-MTB).

This sextet, along with nine other riders, managed to break away from the peloton about 20 kilometers from the start in front of the Reinaldo Paseiro velodrome. At 30 kilometers, they were already more than five minutes ahead of the main peloton.

It also allowed them to arrive later with advantage to the uncomfortable elevation of El Plátano, in the town of Nazareno, in the municipality of San José de las Lajas, where Randol took the prize of the climb.

He was followed by Delgado, Sanabria, Mandín, Douglas Parrado (Cuba B), Hernández, Pupo, Ernesto Santiago (Habana), Jorge Rojas (Sancti Spíritus) and Alexander Rodríguez (Cienfuegos Technical Center).

Ricardo Cardoso (Cuba B), Yordanis Álvarez (Clásica Somi), Juan Pablo (Habana) and Yendry Ramírez, the under-23 rider of Centro Técnico. Of the 15 escapees, only Alejandro Hernández from Matanzas lost that group on the climb.

The lomerío of Nazareno took the least climbers out of the way and the peloton and the "ball" of escapees broke up even more. However, these always remained at the head of the race while they consumed the last kilometers along the Melena highway and the Monumental road to the sentence line in front of the Pan American Stadium in Havana.

Randol now leads the overall individual classification with a time of 4:27.57 hours, but one second behind Parrado, the winner of the first stage. Delgado is third with 4:28.02.

For the girls it was another demanding day, which they need a lot, since most of them are juniors. Some with prospects, such as Rachel Mesa, the best on Saturday, finished second this Wednesday, only behind the international Daymelín Pérez. The third place went to Karen Martinez.

Cuban champion Arlenis Sierra, from the Movistar club, once again shared the second day with them in the first kilometers. Given her level, she then overtook the men's peloton that was chasing the escapees.

This Thursday, the third and penultimate stage will consist of 145 kilometers in a route from the velodrome along the Vía Blanca, round trip to the Bacunayagua bridge, with flying goals in Guanabo and Santa Cruz del Norte.