MONTEVIDEO. The Vuelta Ciclista del Uruguay, the oldest stage race in South America, will be launched this Friday in its 76th edition with a new route that this year will go “from one end of the country to the other”, as its march says , literally, and that will have several attractions that will mark the outcome of the competition.
In the presentation of the competition, Federico Moreira, the president of the Uruguayan Cycling Federation (FCU), whose term ends this year, counted the main highlights that the race will have and the difficulties that the peloton will have to face.
From his experience, is the highest winner of the Vuelta with six titles, Moreira told the details of the stages and made his personal contributions on some sections.
“This year it reaches the north of the country, after many years it will reach the department of Artigas”, said the exciclist when opening his presentation. “And we are going to lower the Descent of Pena, it is a very complex descent and our athletes are not used to walking in this type of terrain,” he added.
The Vuelta will start this Friday in Ciudad del Plata, San Jose, and will have its final in Cologne. “We finished at the Rambla de Colonia, a traditional cycling circuit,” said Moreira.
“Route 30 is in splendid condition,” he said. “But here comes the complexity of what it is to lower a descent like the Baja de Pena,” he said.
“I say it with a lot of property, because here I lost a Vuelta del Uruguay. I was leader and going down I lost a Vuelta del Uruguay, the one won by Pepe (Asconeguy). It will be a very technical descent and each team will know how it will face up to 90 kilometers to Tacuarembó, “he said. (elobservador.com)
THE STAGES:
1 Ciudad del Plata – Colonia (155,6 KM)
2 Colonia – Mercedes (180,6 KM)
3 Fray Bentos – Paysandú (147,6 KM)
4 Colonia Itapebí – Artigas (149 KM)
5 Artigas – Tacuarembó (194,8 KM)
6 Melo (ITT) (33,6 KM)
7 Treinta y Tres – Rocha (199,3 KM)
8 La Paloma – Rocha – Piriápolis (148,2 KM)
9 San Jacinto – Durazno (180,5 KM)
10 Trinidad – Montevideo (193,8 KM)