Panama has defined its national team for the Central American Road Cycling Championship, which will take place from April 9 to 12 in the province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica. A press release from the Panamanian Cycling Federation (Fepaci) reported that the team is led by experienced figures such as Roberto González, Franklin Archibold, and Carlos Samudio, who recently completed competition cycles in Europe and training camps in Colombia. 'This event is key for our Olympic aspirations and to gauge the level of our juniors who will represent us at home at the South American Youth Games,' emphasized Emer Samudio. The national team is scheduled to travel to Costa Rica in the coming days, ready to defend Panama's colors on one of the most demanding routes in the isthmus. Joining them to complete the Elite team are: Bolívar Espinosa, Christofer Jurado, Randish Lorenzo, and Bredio Ruiz. In the Under-23 category, Panama bets on the freshness and power of Enmanuel Viane, Bryan Phillips, and Jahaziel Martínez, who make their official debut in this division after a standout year. In the women's branch, gold medalist Wendy Ducreux will lead the team, accompanied by Noemy Atencio, who also debuts in the absolute category after being one of the most dominant figures in the Junior realm during 2025. In the junior category, the team is composed of Dier Ríos, José Castro, Anthony Cortez, Carlos Villalaz, José Castellanos, Eduardo Hernández, and Eloy Saldaña, approaching the competition as final preparation to seek the medal table at the 2026 South American Youth Games in Panama. According to Fepaci, this championship represents a strategic step in collecting UCI points for qualification towards the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games in the Male Elite category. 'Our elite athletes come from a high-altitude and high-performance camp in Colombia and Europe, which gives us the confidence that we will give a great battle in Guanacaste.' As part of the FEPACI's continuous development plan, it was confirmed that after the event in Guanacaste, four cyclists (three juniors and one Under-23) will travel to Spain in May to join European teams and continue their high-performance training.
