The fifth Bantrab Cycling Tour, a UCI 2.2 category event, will begin in Guatemala on April 29 and run until May 3, according to the Organizing Committee, which officially announced the five-stage route and the participation of several international teams.
The colorful caravan will cover 665.6 kilometers, starting with a long stage of 161.8 kilometers from the capital city of Amatitlán, in the western department of Escuintla, along the Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa bypass, to Retalhuleu.
The route will traverse various parts of the country, testing the endurance and strategy of each cyclist, the organizers explained.
The second stage will cover 119.3 kilometers from San Felipe to Retalhuleu, then on to Coatepeque, Pajapita, Cruce de la Virgen, Catarina, El Rodeo, and finally San Rafael Pie de la Cuesta, a municipality in the department of San Marcos.
The next stage, over 132 kilometers, will consist of an 11-lap circuit on the Los Altos Quetzaltenango Highway, from the Shell gas station to MetroPlaza, then Gran Carmel, and back to the Shell gas station.
The fourth stage is planned to cover 152.5 kilometers, starting in El Migrante, Salcajá, then continuing through Paxtoca, El Migrante, La Hino, and back to El Migrante (two laps), then Alaska, Los Encuentros, Tecpán Guatemala, and finally Patzicía, in the municipality of Chimaltenango.
The final stage will take place in one of the city’s centers, a 20-lap circuit starting at the Banco de los Trabajadores (Bantrab) headquarters on Avenida La Reforma, passing through Plaza Costa Rica and the Miguel García Monument, and returning to the starting point.
The first edition of this event was won in 2022 by Colombian Heiner Parra, while Spaniard Oscar Sevilla took the trophy last year. Then it was lifted by Spaniard Óscar Sevilla and Ecuador’s Jonathan Caicedo. In the previous edition, Colombian Wilson Peña withstood the challenge in the fifth and final stage to claim the prize.
Among the confirmed teams are Best PC from Ecuador and Orgullo Paisa from Colombia, along with more than 10 local teams.
Source: Prensa Libre, Agencia Prensa Latina