Faithful to his lineage and competitive spirit and his tireless fighting spirit, the Quillón pedaler, recent participant in the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games, Héctor “El Rayo” Quintana, is performing brilliantly in the tough and traditional Vuelta Maule Centro 2024, which includes four days of competition and the 422-kilometer route from the mountain range to the valley of the Seventh Region.
Although in the first stage of the time trial Quintana suffered two chain failures and might not get on the podium, which was led by his teammates from the Plus Racing team, in the second stage he showed all his potential by leading the phase, remaining as the leader of the competition and with the leader’s knitwear in the flying and mountain goals.
“It was a tough stage, I had mechanical problems in the time trial on the first day, I lost time, but my teammates remained leaders. In the second stage, I had to try, since it is a terrain that suits me, I was able to make differences. Although I mightn’t achieve it at the beginning, at km.
I arrived on the ground with a difference and from below I set the pace. He was super fast, it was difficult to make a difference, but in the km. 20 there was a curve, a cut was made, then another and so on the entire race. I had to try and escape without a partner and have a strategy, give everything to be the leader,” commented Quintana happily, following leading the second stage, of 140 km. of route, which ended at the Chivato Center, with 1,200 meters of dirt road and with a slope of 28%.
Quintana totaled a time of 3:09:28 hours in the second stage, and was escorted by Héctor Moyado and Nicolás Vergara.
At the close of this edition, Quintana and his companions were animating the third stage, a mid-mountain one, in Pencahue, with 152 km of route, ending at Cerro La Virgen.
The fourth and final stage will be run this Sunday, with a route of 116 km, an ascent of 1,907 meters, reaching a maximum height of 1,201 meters. It is a road test that begins in the Plaza de la Independencia, in the Bicentenario neighborhood of the city of Talca, capital of the Maule region, passing through San Clemente, Paso Nevado, arriving at the finish line in the Hotel de Vilches sector in the Maulina mountain range.
The historic pedal competition brings together 200 pedalers from 38 teams from all over the country.
A large number of them will surely be present in the 50th version of the Ascension to Nevados de Chillán, which will be held on February 16, 17 and 18 and which includes the elite, junior, sub23, Master A, 35 categories. to 39 years, Master B, from 40 to 49 years, Master C, from 50 to 59 years, Master D, from 60 years and over and the Damas Open series.
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