LA ROMANA – Romanense cyclist Danielky Cedeño took the victory in the first stage of the 47th Vuelta Ciclística Independencia Nacional.
Cedeño completed the 117 kilometers of the route between Santo Domingo, San Pedro de Macorís and La Romana with a time of 2 hours, 13 minutes and 58 seconds.
The representative of Team La Romana demonstrated his skill at home, securing the stage in an exciting final sprint.
He beat Joseph Ramírez, from the Verrazano-Santiago team, and James Schurman, from City Bike Miami, by just one second.
Wilmer Paredes, from Team Medellín, obtained fourth position, 12 seconds behind the winner.
In the team classification, City Bike Miami leads the general table with an accumulated time of 6:47:12.
Opening Ceremony
The official opening ceremony was attended by the Minister of Sports, Kelvin Cruz, who gave the honorary start.
Also present were Jorge Blas Díaz, president of the Dominican Cycling Federation; Garibaldy Bautista, head of the Dominican Olympic Committee, and various municipal and provincial authorities.
Eduardo Kelly, mayor of the head municipality, along with provincial governor Ivelise Méndez and athlete Francisco Micheli, participated in the awards ceremony for outstanding cyclists.
The 47th edition of the race, which extends until next Sunday, is supported by the Administrative Ministry of the Presidency, the Ministry of Sports, Banreservas, Seaboard, and Economic Dining Halls.
In addition, it receives logistical support from the Military and Police Commission of the Ministry of Public Works, the 911 System, Digesset, Politur and the Dominican Olympic Committee.
In the competition, national teams such as Inteja Cycling Team, Asocisa/Santiago, San Juan de la Maguana, San Francisco de Macorís, Team La Romana, Club Fénix, Verrazano/Santiago, El Boro Cycling Team, R2R Cycling Team, Bara Cycling Team, and Asocipe/Moca participate.
Internationally, CAMA CCD (Guadalupe), Pegasus Texas (USA), Esparza Training (Mexico), Team Medellín (Colombia), City Bike Miami (USA), Hino One (Guatemala), Team Madras Cycling (Guadalupe), and Four Winds Velo (Curacao) compete.
Next Steps
The second stage, with 153 kilometers, will take place this Wednesday, starting at the Seaboard company, in the Colonial City, and covering Santo Domingo–Baní–Circunvalación Santo Domingo.
The third stage will be held on Thursday, covering 158 kilometers, starting from the Banreservas Tower on Winston Churchill Avenue, heading to Rancho Arriba, in San José de Ocoa.
On Friday, a closed circuit will be held in Mirador Sur Park (140 kilometers), while on Saturday the penultimate stage will cover Santo Domingo–Circunvalación Santo Domingo Norte (138 kilometers).
The Vuelta will conclude on Sunday, March 1st with a final circuit in the monumental area of Santiago.
