Manuel Medina wins 9th stage, Pedro Gutierrez takes overall lead in 2011 Vuelta Ciclista a Venezuela
Manuel Eduardo Medina Marino showed his good effort in the ninth stage of 2011 Vuelta Ciclista a Venezuela on Friday, July 21. Pedro Gutierrez took the overall leader’s jersey.
The race started in Barquisimeto and ended in Nirgua. The 35-year-old Venezuelan professional racer took a total of 2 hours, 33 minutes and 24 seconds to cover the distance of 119.4 kilometres.
His country-mate, Jose Chacon, was the runner-up with 23 seconds behind Medina Marino. Carlos Galviz of the Movistar team was in the third spot with a difference of 27 seconds.
Yosvans Rojas, Pedro Gutierrez and Jose Rujano Guillen were in fourth, fifth and sixth place, respectively.
Darwin Luis Urrea Vergara was in good form and tried his best to take a lead, but failed to hold his pace and grabbed the tenth place with a difference of 1 minute and 18 seconds, ahead of Rolando Trujillo Caballero and Jose Alarcon.
The stage eight (b) winner’s Marvin Angarita of Movistar was unable to maintain his lead and took the 49th pace with a difference of 5 minutes and 15 seconds, ahead of Enrique Diaz.
After few kilometres to go, a group of four cyclists made their first breakaway, including Carlos Galviz (Movistar Team), Yosvans Rojas (Ven), Manuel Eduardo Medina Marino and Jose Chacon (Ven).
All of them were working together and build a lead of few seconds over the other cyclists, while Carlos and Yosvans launched te attack, but failed. Chacon and Marino again took a lead, but Medina Marino increased his pace and crossed the finish line without
any difficulty.
Previously, Manuel Medina took the sixth place in Vuelta al Tachira 2009 and also grabbed the first spot in Vuelta a Guatemala and Vuelta al Tachira in 2008.
Pedro Gutierrez took the overall standing with a timing of 26 hours, 42 minutes and 16 seconds, while Juan Murillo was the runner-up with 14 seconds behind Pedro.
Jose Alirio Contreras was in the third place with a difference of 54 seconds, ahead of the stage winner, Manuel Eduardo, and Jose Chacon.
The next stage will start in Nirgua and end in Guacara. All the cyclists will cover the distance of 115.8 kilometres.
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