The cariocas, who these days are breathing soccer through all their pores after Botafogo’s qualification to its first final in the Copa Libertadores, saw how cycling took its space with the first stage of the Tour de Rio, which left Sergio Luis Henao (Nu Colombia) as the winner.
The experienced rider from Antioquia was the strongest of the breakaway at the end and won the stage alone, after riding 141.2 kilometers around Conservatória, in the state of Rio de Janeiro.
The 36-year-old rider from Paisa, who achieved his fourth victory of the season, beat his fellow countryman Wilmar Paredes (Team Medellín-EPM) and Spaniard Óscar Sevilla (Team Medellín-EPM), who came in 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
The breakaway of the day was led by Brazilian João Gaspar (AGI Cycling Team), Colombian-Spanish Óscar Sevilla (Team Medellín-EPM) and Colombians Sergio Luis Henao (Nu Colombia), Rodrigo Contreras (Nu Colombia), Brayan Sánchez (Team Medellín-EPM) and Wilmar Paredes (Team Medellín-EPM).
The second stage of the Brazilian race will be run this Saturday with a course of 151.2 kilometers in a circuit also in Conservatória, a charming destination in the southeast of Brazil.
Tour do Río (Brasil)
Stage 1 | Circuito Conservatória (141,2 km)
| 1 | Sergio Luis Henao | Nu Colombia | 3:32:48 |
| 2 | Wilmar Paredes | Team Medellín-EPM | 2:36 |
| 3 | Óscar Sevilla | Team Medellín-EPM | 4:51 |
| 4 | Joao Gaspar | Pelotao AGI CT | 7:27 |
| 5 | Brayan Sánchez | Team Medellín-EPM | 7:29 |
| 6 | Héctor Quintana | Plus Performance-Solutos | 10:37 |
| 7 | Igor Molina | Unifunvic Pindamondangadaba | 10:37 |
| 8 | Vinicius Silva Santos | São José Ciclismo | 10:37 |
| 9 | Eduardo Edwin Moyata | Pio Rico-Alcaldia La Vega | 10:37 |
| 10 | Pedro Leme Figueiredo | Taubate Cycling Team | 10:45 |