After taking the lead on the second day, Ecuadorian Esther Galarza (Team Eagle Bike) increased the advantage achieved and was crowned bicampeona of the Women’s Tour of Ecuador after winning the last fraction that ended in Atuntaqui.
The places of honor of the third edition of the Ecuadorian race were completed by her compatriots Elizabeth Bravo (Team Liv Toscana) and Heidi Flores (Team Banco De Guayaquil), who finished 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
On the Colombian side, Elizabeth Castaño from Antioquia, winner of the first stage, climbed the podium for the fourth consecutive day to collect the jersey of the flying goals.
During the final day, the two-time champion experienced a complicated moment when she dropped from the peloton, but with determination, she managed to recover the pace and secure the victory. “I tried to conserve energy and I won again, but the most important thing is that I’m happy to win the Tour again,” said Galarza with emotion after her victory.
In addition to the general classification, Esther Galarza stood out in the mountain prize classification, while Elizabeth Castaño, from the Colombia Potencia de la Vida team, took the victory in the flying goals.
In the youth category, cyclist Milagros Fuentes (Team Pichincha) was crowned champion, finishing in an excellent seventh place in the elite classification.
In the Tour Junior, the champions were Nahomi Játiva (Movistar Best PC), in the pre-juvenile category, and Mateo Bastidas, representative of the Federación Deportiva de Cotopaxi, who was crowned in the same male category. Mateo Ramírez, from Team Pichincha, dominated the youth category, also taking the mountain and flying goal awards.
The Ecuadorian Cycling Federation is already working on the organization of the National Road Championship, which will be held in Cotacachi from January 30 to February 2, 2025.
Source: Revista Mundo Ciclístico y www.elcomercio.com