The Chilean Pablo Alarcón, from the Mexican club Canel’s Zero Uno, won this Monday the first stage of the Tour of Ecuador with a route of 133.1 kilometers that started and arrived in the Andean city of Riobamba, located at the foot of the Chimborazo volcano, the highest peak in the Andean country.
Alarcón completed the route in 2 hours, 58 minutes and 35 seconds, followed with a distance of 6 seconds by the Ecuadorian Luis Monteros, from the under-23 category, from Team Pichincha. In third place came the Mexican Ignacio Prado, from the Canel’s Zero Uno team, with a time of 2h48:57, while fourth place went to Byron Guama, winner of four editions of this race (2004, 2008, 2010 and 2012). .
In tenth place came the current champion, the Colombian Robinson Chalapud. The flying goals were dominated by the Mexican Prado, with 10 points; Ecuadorian Esteban Villarreal, from the local team Team C&S Technology, came second, with 7 points; and with 5 units the Colombian Marco Suesca from the Ecuadorian Movistar Best PC.
Two mountain awards went to Marco Suesca and one was won by Jimmi Montenegro, both from Movistar Best PC.
Alarcón will be the first cyclist to wear the yellow jersey as overall leader. For his part, Suesca will wear the t-shirt for the mountain awards, Prado the one for the flying goals and Monteros the one for the young people.
The Panama Cultura y Valores clubs, the Mexican Canel’s Zero Uno, the American Río Grande Cycling and the Peruvian Club AVV participate in the 40th edition of the Tour of Ecuador, along with nine other Ecuadorian teams that total 84 cyclists.
The second stage will be held this Tuesday between the Ecuadorian towns of Riobamba and Salcedo, with a route of 112.2 kilometers and three mountain passes to be crowned: Ilapo (kilometer 26), Emilio Terán (kilometer 82.8) and La Esperanza (kilometer 84.6).
Source: Agencias de noticias EFE y Revista Mundo Ciclístico