Dominican wins Phase 2 of Costa Rica ‘Vuelta Ciclista’

Dominican Nelson Sánchez made a surprise win yesterday during the second leg of the Vuelta Ciclista Internacional bike race in Costa Rica.

Sánchez rallied in the last kilometer of the 210km leg, from Orotina, just inland from the central Pacific coast, and Filadelfia, in the northwestern Guanacaste province, clocking in at 4:13:58.

Cuban cyclist Freddy Burgos came second, just eight seconds away from Sánchez. Fellow Cuban Arnold Alcolea came third, trailing the winner by 56 seconds.

The third leg takes place today, racing from La Ponderosa, Guanacaste, to Puntarenas on the central Pacific coast, in a tour of 130km.

The Vuelta, in which five local and five foreign teams – from Cuba, Mexico, Dominican Republic and Canada – are competing, is set to finish 14 phases on Dec. 28.