In a great performance, Wilmar Paredes (Team Medellín-EPM) won the first stage of the Tour of Gila in the United States, after traveling 148 kilometers around Silver City, in the State of New Mexico.
Paredes, who assumes the lead of the race, crossed the finish line first ahead of the American Tyler Stites (Project Echelon Racing) and his countryman Walter Vargas, who entered 2nd and 3rd respectively.
After his victory, Wilmar declared: “Happy about this victory, I dedicate it to my children and wife. At first the others did not want to collaborate, our team worked in the best way and we were able to compete in the stage. Whoever felt better was going to compete in the stage, there we were talking at the end, and that was the order from Seville, and we were given the stage.”
This Thursday, the American round will continue with the second stage, another undulating day of 120.7 kilometers starting and ending in Fort Bayard that includes three third-category mountain passes.
The successor to the American Alex Hoehn, last year’s champion, will be known on Sunday in Piños Altos (State of New Mexico), after five grueling days of competition.
Tour of the Gila (Estados Unidos)
Results Stage 1 | Silver City -> Mogollon (148 km)
| 1 | Wilmar Paredes *Colombia | Team Medellín-EPM | 3:22:16 |
| 2 | Tyler Stites | Project Echelon Racing | m.t. |
| 3 | Walter Vargas *Colombia | Team Medellín-EPM | 0:13 |
| 4 | Heiner Parra *Colombia | Canel’s-Java | 0:19 |
| 5 | Óscar Sevilla | Team Medellín-EPM | 0:29 |
| 6 | Róbigzon Oyola *Colombia | Team Medellín-EPM | 0:56 |
| 7 | Brayan Sánchez *Colombia | Team Medellín-EPM | 1:17 |
| 8 | Efrén Santos | Canel’s-Java | 1:20 |
| 9 | Kieran Haug | CS Velo Racing | 1:52 |
| 10 | Garin Kelley | Team California p/b Verge | 2:07 |