In a final for sprinters, Colombian sprinter Nelson Soto (Forte Petrolike – Androni Giocatolli) won the first stage of the Tour of Táchira 2024 in a close sprint, after traveling 150 kilometers around San Cristóbal.
The runner from Barranquilla, who assumes the lead of the race, crossed the finish line first with a time of 3:36:14″ ahead of the Venezuelans Angelvis Arroyo (Venezuela Pais Futuro) and the Venezuelan Francisco Peñuela (Venezuela National Team ), who entered 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
This Sunday’s day had an exciting sprint finish in which it seemed that Angelvis Arroyo had taken the victory. However, Nelson Soto managed to overtake him in the final stretch by putting his bike ahead at the finish line.
No escape was consolidated during the first day, the lot remained compact for most of the route, the numerous attempts failed and the work of Team Fundación Ángeles Hernández bore fruit and the main group remained compact.
In the closing, Charlie García (Club Uptaiet-Inversiones Alexander) tried to surprise, but the Venezuelan did not achieve his goal and was captured by the peloton, led by the Colombian team GW Erco Shimano.
This Monday, January 15, the second stage of the 59th edition of the Tour of Táchira will take place, which will take riders from San Josecito to San Cristóbal along 141.5 kilometers with an upward finish.
The Tour of Táchira 2024 will end on January 21, when competitors will have traveled 1,058.9 kilometers in eight stages. The fight for the title, which Venezuelan José Alarcón won last year, will have the novelty this year that one of its stages will pass through the Colombian border city of Cúcuta.
Results Stage 1 | San Cristóbal – San Cristóbal (150 kilómetros)
| 1 | Nelson Soto *Colombia | Forte Petrolike – Androni Giocatolli | 3:36:14 |
| 2 | Angelvis Arroyo *Venezuela | Venezuela País Futuro-Banco Plaza | m.t. |
| 3 | Francisco Peñuela *Venezuela | Selección de Venezuela | m.t. |
| 4 | Juan Esteban Guerrero *Colombia | Avinal El Carmen Viboral-Vicman Bikes | m.t. |
| 5 | Ricardo Zurita *España | Team Osorio Grupo City Bikes | m.t. |
General Ranking l
| 1 | Nelson Soto | Forte Petrolike – Androni Giocattoli | 3:36:04 |
| 2 | Angelvis Arroyo | Venezuela País Futuro-Banco Plaza | 0:04 |
| 3 | Francisco Peñuela | Selección de Venezuela | 0:06 |
| 4 | Alejandro Osorio | GW Erco Shimano | 0:07 |
| 5 | Edwin Torres | Lotería del Táchira | ,, |