Venezuelan Lilibeth Chacón takes the lead after winning the fifth stage

Lilibeth Chacón won the fifth stage and is close to winning the Vuelta a Colombia title / Photo: Mundo Ciclístico

Venezuelan Lilibeth Chacón, champion of the last edition of the Vuelta a Colombia Femenina, won the fifth stage and took the lead after a 21.2-kilometer route between the Caribbean towns of Valledupar and Pueblo Bello.

Chacón (Pato Bike BMC) won with a time of 3 hours, 30 minutes and 26 seconds over the Canadian Nadia Gontova (DNA Pro Cycling), the Spanish Ariana Gilabert (Eneicat-CM) and the Colombian Stefania Sánchez (Pedaleras).

Chacón managed to take the lead with a cumulative time of 16 hours, 27 minutes and 48 seconds. She is followed in the general classification by Canadian Gontova, 2 minutes and 11 seconds behind; and Ecuadorian Esther Galarza, the current leader of the championship, 3 minutes and 29 seconds behind.

Another highlight

The fourth position is occupied by Colombian Estefanía Herrera (Mujeres Ant-Org Paisa), 3 minutes and 55 seconds behind the leader.

Sunday will see the closing of the Vuelta a Colombia Femenina with a sixth stage of individual time trial of 28.1 kilometers, which will begin and end in Valledupar.

116 of the 139 female riders who started the competition are still in the competition, in 24 teams that include cyclists from Venezuela, Mexico, Ecuador, Spain, Portugal, Italy, the United States, Costa Rica, the Netherlands, Argentina, Guatemala and Colombia.

Bogota / EFE