On a chaotic day due to rain, German Darío Gómez (GW Shimano-Sidermec) won the second stage of the Clásico RCN – Banco Agrario 2023, after a day full of falls between Pamplona and Bucaramanga, where the Venezuelan José Alarcón (Rice Zulia – Ángeles Hernandéz – JB) lost the lead of the race after entering more than 5 minutes behind the winner.
The 122.9 kilometers covered by the more than 200 cyclists present in the RCN Banco Agrario Classic were very demanding and the runner from Santander surprised his rivals in the last kilometers, after many runners fell on the descent of Alto del Picacho, although apparently without serious consequences.
It was a stage in which the riders encountered the mountain for the first time, as there was a second-class climb and another out of category in which some differences began to be made. However, what ended up being definitive in this stage of the Clásico RCN Banco Agrario was the relegation, since that was where the escape of Germán Darío Gómez was completed, and along the way there were some falls.
Several riders suffered the consequences of the wet asphalt and ended up crashing, among them, the current champion Aldemar Reyes (Team Medellín); However, he got up and continued running.
The podium of the day was completed by Didier Merchán (GW Shimano) and Óscar Quiroz (Colombia Potencia de Vida) at 40″; the latter also took the lead in the individual overall standings with 34 seconds of difference over Germán Darío himself.
“Happy, very happy, I had extra motivation. I was preparing for the Classic very well. It is a victory, in one of the most important races in the country. The sensations are very good, I attacked when it was already dry, I took the initiative and things went very well,” said Germán Darío Gómez at the end of the stage.
The winner has a very good season and goes for the title of the RCN Banco Agrario Classic after having won the Vuelta de la Juventud. It should be remembered that Gómez comes from racing in Europe and is wanted by the EOLO Kometa team for 2024.
Now, the cyclists are getting ready for the third stage of the RCN Classic, which will be held between Socorro (Santander) and Tunja, with a route of 163 kilometers and has two second-class mountain passes.
Results 2da stage | Pamplona -Bucaramanga (122,9 kilómetros)
| 1 | Germán Dario Gómez | GW Shimano-Sidermec | 3:05:07 | |||
| 2 | Didier Merchán | GW Shimano-Sidermec | 0:40 | |||
| 3 | Óscar Quiroz | Colombia Potencia de la Vida-GW Shimano | 0:40 | |||
| 4 | Aldemar Reyes | Team Medellín-EPM | 0:40 | |||
| 5 | Diego Pescador | GW Shimano-Sidermec | 0:40 |
General Clasification
| 1 | Óscar Quiroz | Colombia Potencia de la Vida-GW Shimano | 6:46:29 | |||
| 2 | Germán Dario Gómez | GW Shimano-Sidermec | 0:34 | |||
| 3 | Didier Merchán | GW Shimano-Sidermec | 1:17 | |||
| 4 | Aldemar Reyes | Team Medellín-EPM | 1:21 | |||
| 5 | Daniel Muñoz | EPM-Go Rigo Go | 1:21 |
Source: Antena2.com y Revista Mundo Ciclístico