Cuban cyclist in Movistar's mind-blowing season

Havana, September 12 (ACN) - Cuban cyclist Arlenis Sierra maintained her meritorious support to the best rider in the world, Dutch Annemiek van Vleuten, in the Ceratizit Challenge in Spain, which ended on Sunday with the victory of "Miek", leader of Movistar Team.

Today's fifth and final stage was 96 kilometers (km) in Madrid, on a flat circuit in Paisaje de la Luz, a World Heritage Site.

Sierra crossed the finish line in 55th place and Van Vleuten in 50th, but both were only seven seconds behind Italian world champion Elisa Balsamo, who won the stage with 2:21:37 hours, according to the statistics on the official website of the event.

Van Vleuten was titled champion in the race, with an accumulated 12:21:46 hours in the general classification, while Sierra finished in 16th place, with 12:27:07.

In addition, in the points table, "Miek" finished fifth with 41 and Sierra in 14th place with 12, while in the mountains the Dutchwoman was second with 32 units and the Cuban was eighth with nine.

The success was cemented in one more masterpiece of the Dutchwoman, a solo breakaway for 30 km through the Cantabrian mountains around Colindres on Thursday, and then defended with solvency in the demanding commitments of the stages of Aguilar de Campoo (Friday) and Segovia (Saturday).

During the final day, the key was to cut the huge lead achieved by the "electric" Olympic champion of Tokyo, the Austrian Anna Kiesenhofe, who escaped alone for 155 km and "hunted" just one km from the finish line.

In a Movistar formation also composed by the Danish Emma Noorsgaard, the Norwegian Katrine Aalerud, the French Aude Bianic and the Spanish Sarah Martin, the Cuban stood out in the support of Van Vleuten, in a World Tour race that serves as a prelude to the world championship next week in Wollongong, Australia.