Arlenis Sierra dominates in fantastic opening stage sprint of Tour de Romandie

Havana, October 7 (RHC) - Cuban Arlenis Sierra (Movistar Team) won Friday the first stage of the first edition of the Tour de Romandie (Switzerland), which is prestigious for 16 professional clubs and the majority of the best women riders on the planet.

29 years old and native of Manzanillo - eastern region of Cuba, Arlenis came in a peloton of about 20 riders and attacked about 200 meters from the finish line in the city of Lausanne, to take the sprint before the also recognized riders Lianne Lippert, from Germany, and Demi Vollering, from the Netherlands.

The first of the three fractions of the giro was run this Friday over 134.4 km in Lausanne and included 5 mountain prizes and 2,300 m of elevation gain, although the final section was run on flat terrain, favorable for the sprinters.

With 2 km to go the two main figures of the Spanish Movistar Team, the Olympic and world champion Annemiek Van Vleuten and Arlenis, chased down a quartet of escapees including the Italians Soraya Paladin (fourth) and Elisa Longo Borghini (fifth).

The second fraction of the nascent Swiss Tour will be run this Saturday over 104.5 km from Syon to Thyon, with almost 17 km of climb at the end and finish in Thyon, located at 2090 meters above sea level.

The third and final leg of the season-closing women's road cycling World Tour will be ridden on Sunday over 147.6 km from Frisburg to Geneva on flat terrain, ideal for sprinters.

More than 80 of the world's best women road cyclists are competing in the Tour.