Franklin Archibold, of the Senafront team, confirmed his lead in the 2025 Tour of Panama, Vicente Carretero Cup, by winning the 113.6-kilometer third stage between Chitré and Las Minas, in the province of Herrera, today.
Archibold claimed his second victory in this version of the Tour, beating Costa Rican Gabriel Rojas, of ManzaTé-La Selva-Scott, and Colombian-Spaniard Oscar Sevilla, of Team Medellín EPM, in a strong finish. The trio crossed the finish line with a time of 2 hours, 31 minutes, and 36 seconds.
In the individual general classification, Franklin Archibold accumulated a time of 6 hours, 35 minutes, and 32 seconds, leading Costa Rican Gabriel Rojas by 35 seconds and Oscar Sevilla by 37 seconds.
“It was another very eventful day. By the end, we were feeling strong, thanks to the work of my teammates and some teams that joined in. At the finish, we had a chance, and we got it. Now it’s time to continue defending this Rally leader’s jersey,” said Archibold.
The 27-year-old cyclist from the province of Chiriquí also became the mountain leader by winning the second-category climb. He also dominated the consistency test and the national best. This Thursday, the 113.6 kilometers covered Chitré, Divisa, Santiago, Ocu, and Las Minas.
The Tour of Panama leaves the central region of the country where the first three stages were contested, visiting picturesque places and with the fans always supporting the riders.
Other category leaders arriving on the Caribbean Coast are Dier Ríos (Rali Giant) in the Junior category with a time of 6 hours, 39 minutes, and 29 seconds; Michael Caballero (Rali Giant) in the Under-23 category with a time of 6 hours, 37 minutes, and 04 seconds.
Kristian Becerra (ILC Cycling Team) in the Master A category with a time of 6 hours, 40 minutes, and 19 seconds; and Alex Jorge (Guardianes SPI) with a time of 6 hours, 39 minutes, and 56 seconds.
The Panamanian race will continue this Friday with the fourth stage, another flat circuit, this time around the city of Colón, on the Caribbean coast, at the entrance to the Panama Canal. The race will cover 124 kilometers, spanning Sherman, Batería 35, Piña, Salud, Piña, Batería 35, Puente del Atlántico, and Sherman.
Source: FEPACI