Panama City.- If someone wanted a better ending for the time trials of the Pan American Cycling Championship, they found it on the second date of the event, when the Colombian Walter Vargas beat him by a second! to his teammate Miguel Ángel “Supermán” López, the most followed figure in this fair, who will surely never forget this April 19, 2023.
Divided into two sleeves by the number of riders and the length of the circuit (12.6 km), the modality reserved emotions very early, when Vargas closed the three laps around the perimeter (38.4 km) with a great time of 47:57 minutes. and he had to wait for what all the cyclists of the second round (11) would do, in which the last rider to leave the ramp would be nothing more and nothing less than “Supermán” López.
A pedaling rhythm that ignored the inclement sun and an adjusted race tactic to reserve strength on each hill were Vargas’ weapons; while López looked like a real lightning bolt on the asphalt from the start, with an aerodynamic position that delighted photographers. Little by little, the partials indicated an advantage for Vargas who discounted “Supermán” without scare.
Just five kilometers from the finish line, the partial difference was four seconds still ahead of Vargas. However, López did not seem anxious, perhaps he trusted that he could fly with his usual strength. He didn’t bet on a devilish sprint to close because he thought he had already closed enough of the gap to win, but the chipe the bike doesn’t lie. Vargas did 47 minutes and 57 seconds and the most followed in the competition escorted him with just one more second on the score sheet. For the bronze, Bermuda’s Kaden Hopkins gave the upset with 50:03.
However, focused only on the joy of Colombia with another 1-2 on the men’s podium, both embraced under the tent that houses the South American team. Almost without strength yet, “Supermán” congratulated Vargas and recalled how hard the time trial has been for him “the circuit is hard, and the altimetry doesn’t affect it as much as the heat, the wind and the humidity.
The statistics left more joy for Vargas, who reached four gold medals (2016, 2018, 2021) in this specialty in continental championships, something that only the American Amber Neben archives among women. “It is a very happy victory because I knew that Miguel Ángel comes very hard, thinking of always succeeding. The most important thing is that he won Colombia ”, concluded the 31-year-old from Antioquia, who turned April 16.
This day also held the time trial for men under 23, in which the Chilean Héctor Quintana secured the gold medal with a time of 51:37. The silver was won by Tico, Donovan Ramírez, who comes from obtaining the gold medal in the Central American Route; while the Mexican José Juan Prieto achieved bronze with a time of 52:21. In this category the average speed recorded was 44.6 kilometers per hour.
The Panama 2023 Pan American Road Championship will take a day of recess this Thursday for the celebration of the COPACI Congress in this city and will return to the actions from Friday to Sunday with the junior road tests (f and m), sub 23 for men and elite (f and m). In the latter, qualifying places for the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games will be awarded and the winners will be guaranteed for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.