The Colombian cyclist Valentina Roa Sánchez has just obtained a historic result for our country, after winning the eighth valid season of the Mountain Bike World Series, in the junior downhill category, a result that crowns her as the champion of the season 2023 UCI Junior World Cup, which ended this Friday in Mont-Sainte-Ann, Canada.
Roa Sánchez, born in Ibagué on March 4, 2005 (18 years old) and who runs through the department of Caldas, achieved her second victory of the season in the World Cup this Friday, after finishing in first place in the junior event, with a time of four minutes, 51 seconds and 896 thousandths.
Last month, Valentina had become the first Latin runner to win a DHI World Cup (downhill) event, after securing victory at the stop held on September 8 in Haute-Savoie, France.
The Transition Factory Racing rider added 390 points throughout the season, after winning in Mont-Sainte-Ann, Canada (60) and Haute-Savoie, France (60); obtain two second places at the stops in Lenzerheide, Switzerland (50), and Pal Arinsal, Andorra (50); two third places in Loudenvielle – Peyragudes, France (45) and Snowshoe, United States (45) and finishing fourth in Leogang-Salzburg, Austria (40), and in Val di Sole Trentino, Italy (40), achieving six of the eight podiums of the season and establishing herself as the best rider of the year in the junior category.
The Colombian youth achieves this historic result by surpassing the French Lisa Bouladou in the final classification, who finished second with 360 units, and who today finished in third place; and the New Zealander Erice Van Leuven (current world champion), who finished third, with 285 points, 105 behind the Colombian.
An unprecedented result for Colombian Mountain Bike thanks to Valentina Roa Sánchez, who last season had won the bronze medal at the World Championships in Les Gets, France, also in the junior category.
It should also be noted that it is the second overall podium obtained by a Colombian in the 2023 season of the MTB World Series, after the third place achieved by Leonardo Páez in the marathon.
Valentina will head the roster of the Colombian Downhill Team that will be competing in the Pan American Championship of the specialty, which will be held in Cuzco, Peru, from October 19 to 22.
Source: FEDECICLISMO