Santo Domingo.- There will be 1,184 kilometers the distance covered by the 138 riders who will be distributed among the 23 teams that will compete in the 43rd edition of the National Independence Cycling Tour.
The Vuelta will be from February 21 to 27 and it is assumed that stages 4, 5 and 6 will define the champion of the tour, with the consequent recognition for winning on three dates of high physical demand, over the remaining four, which are practically routes blueprints.
Those three days add up to 550 kilometers, full of mountain sections and a stage that ends at the top of 1,164 meters above sea level, in Constanza.
The fourth stage will be Santo Domingo Samaná (178 km) on February 24, which begins the trio of compromising dates;
On January 18, Diario Libre published the probable route of the Vuelta in which it remained to be defined which of the two options would be stage 5: 1. Samaná-Nagua-Río San Juan-Gaspar Hernández-Sosúa-Puerto Plata (216 km ) and 2. Nagua-Río San Juan-Gaspar Hernández-Sosua-Puerto Plata (147 km). Option number 1 (February 25) prevailed, so the mileage was also extended to 1,184.
The third date will be crowned by the queen stage (the mountain) that will be Puerto Plata-Santiago-La Vega-La Virgen-Constanza, which brings together 156 kilometers, on February 26.
Official route of edition 43 of the Vuelta Independencia/February 2022, 21-27
Day Stage Route Km
21 1 Santo Domingo-San Cristóbal-Baní-Azua-Barahona 178
22 2 Barahona-Azua-Bani-San Cristóbal-Santo Domingo 179
23 3 Santo Domingo-San Pedro de Macorís-Santo Domingo 187
24 4 Santo Domingo-Samaná 178
25 5 Samaná-Nagua-Río San Juan-Sosua-Puerto Plata 216
26 6 Puerto Plata-Santiago-La Vega-La Virgen-Constanza 156
27 7 Circuit Av. Mirador Sur 90
Total route = 1,184 Km
“A Vuelta like this had not been done with three days as strong as those, the winner will be more demanded than in previous years,” said the president of the Dominican Cycling Federation, Jorge Blas.
He explains that on the first of those three dates he will have to climb Los Haitises, then the mountains of Sánchez and reach Samaná, so without a doubt this marks the beginning of the difficult part of the tour.
health protocol
The riders and other members of the teams will be under the health protocol of the Ministry of Health. “We are going to be under a protocol from the Ministry of Public Health, under their supervision,” said Blas. “All athletes must arrive with their COVID-19 test and vaccines and the premises their three vaccines, which are the requirements that the Ministry has made of us.”
The teams that will compete in the Vuelta
The teams that will participate are 13 from outside the country and 10 local ones. The visitors are the selections of Bermuda, Puerto Rico, Haiti and Cuba. Best Buddies Racing USA; Carithos Bakery Costa Rica; Gesprom USA; EDA Nicaragua; Premier Racing Texas; Team Herrera Colombia; Fly Factory USA; Country of the Future Venezuela and Asodoci N.Y. The venues are Santiago, Moca, San Cristóbal, La Romana, Inteja, Aero Cycling Team, Doglocy Team, Corratec La Vega and Fenix. A tenth team will be announced later.
Hector Garcia, from Momento Deportivo