SAN JOSE. The Mexican cyclist Efrén Santos won the fifth stage of the Tour of Costa Rica on Thursday and is second overall behind Costa Rican Daniel Bonilla, who today rose to the top of the ranking.

Santos beat Bonilla in the final sprint of today’s 142-kilometer stage between Jacó (central Pacific) and Pérez Zeledón (south), after both escaped alone during the last 20 kilometers.

“It was a very nice stage. It took me a bit to descend but we could go back. It’s a very nice thing to win here,” Santos told reporters.

The Costa Rican Bonilla rose Thursday to the lead with 1 minute and 11 seconds of advantage over Santos, who at the moment, is emerging as the main contender of the tico for the title.

“We went to the stage today with the mentality of going for that yellow shirt. This team is a family,” said the Costa Rican cyclist.

Bonilla, an expert climber, made the difference in the ascent of 38 kilometers of today’s stage, a pace that the previous leader, the Guatemalan Julio Padilla could not follow and therefore left the first positions of the general classification.

The Peruvian national cyclist Allain Quispe dominated the first half of the day on the flat terrain and won the three flying goals of the day, but could not keep up the step on the ascent to the mountain lost and was quickly reached by the platoon.

The Mexican Santos won the only mountain prize of the day to beat Bonilla in the sprint, which was a warning of what would happen in the end.

For Friday, the sixth day between Dominical and Golfito, in the south of the country, is scheduled for a 140-kilometer course on flat terrain, in which cyclists such as the Ecuadorian Bayron Guamá, fourth more than 3 minutes away, will seek to resume prominence.

In the 55th edition of the International Tour of Costa Rica, which will conclude on December 25, 8 local and 7 foreign teams from Ecuador, Russia, Peru, Nicaragua, Holland, Guatemala and Mexico compete.

For Friday, the sixth day between Dominical and Golfito, in the south of the country, is scheduled for a 140-kilometer course on flat terrain, in which cyclists such as the Ecuadorian Bayron Guamá, fourth more than 3 minutes away, will seek to resume prominence.

In the 55th edition of the International Tour of Costa Rica, which will conclude on December 25, 8 local and 7 foreign teams from Ecuador, Russia, Peru, Nicaragua, Holland, Guatemala and Mexico compete. (EFE)

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION STAGE 5 (142 KM).

  1. Efrén Santos (México) Canel´s Specialized 3:49:48
  2. Daniel Bonilla (Costa Rica) Soctiabank-Nestlé-Metrica-Giant
  3. Sebastián Moya (Costa Rica) Scotiabank-Nestlé-Metrica-Giant +0:01:23
  4. Bayron Guamá (Ecuador) Selección de Ecuador +0:01:45
  5. Anthony Sánchez (Costa Rica) Java Cylcing Team +0:01:45

INDIVIDUAL GENERAL CLASSIFICATION.

  1. Daniel Bonilla (Costa Rica) Scotiabank-Nestlé-Metrica-Giant 13:17:38
  2. Efrén Santos (México) México Canel´s Specialized +0:01:11
  3. Luis López (Honduras) Guatemala Ópticas Deluxe +0:01:16
  4. Bayron Guamá (Ecuador) Selección de Ecuador +0:03:04
  5. Pablo Alarcón (Chile México Canel´s Specialized +0:05:55