Costa Rican cyclist Pablo Mudarra from the Colono Bikestation Kolbi team became the first leader of the Vuelta Internacional a Chiriquí, Copa Telca. The race kicked off on Friday with a 140.8-kilometer stage between David, the entrance to San Félix, and Las Lomas.
According to a press release from the Panamanian Cycling Federation (Fepaci), Mudarra and five other teammates managed to break away in the final 60 kilometers, which paid off. They stopped the clock in 3 hours, 13 minutes, and 24 seconds.
At the finish line, Mudarra overcame Belize's Derrick Chavarría from the Tag Cycling Team, as well as his teammate Alejandro Grabado.
The best Panamanian rider was Bolívar Espinosa from the Senafront Rali team and the current champion of the race, who crossed the finish line 23 seconds behind. His pursuers, Derrick Chavarría and Alejandro Granados, were 7 seconds behind.
In the individual general classification, Mudarra has a time of 3 hours, 13 minutes, and 11 seconds. Bolívar Espinosa is in ninth place, 36 seconds behind the leader, and is the best-placed Panamanian rider.
Mudarra also leads the regularity classification with 20 points, while Josep Ramírez (Colono Bikestation Kolbi) commands the mountains classification with 5 points. Other category leaders are Anthony Cortés in Junior and Fernando Ureña in Master, both from the Caminos de Omar team.
On Saturday, the second stage of the Vuelta Internacional a Chiriquí, Copa Telca, will take place. It will be a closed-circuit race in Volcán, covering 82 kilometers, starting at 9:00 AM.
"There were very strong riders in the breakaway, but our team knew how to handle the situation," Mudarra commented at the conclusion of the initial stage.
