Arlenis Sierra Gave a Masterclass for a Golden Route in San Salvador

July 8, 2023

A masterclass, truly another one, was given by Cuban Arlenis Sierra on the route of the XXIV Central American and Caribbean Games, with its main venue in San Salvador.

With a cold, somewhat tired, and alone in the second half of the 109-kilometer race, these were no impediments to crossing the finish line in first place and giving Cuba a new title at this event.

She floated in the main peloton the entire time, sometimes noticeably far from its front and amid Colombian and Mexican riders who gave her one tug and then another.

That said, she remained calm throughout, confident, aware that she only needed a gap to reign. She played with the strategy of others, especially the Colombians who did not allow the Aztecs to steal the competition from them.

Over the first 45 kilometers, Colombian Diana Peñuela and Aztec Anet Barrera broke away. They stayed like that for about 23 kilometers. Shortly after the peloton caught them, Barrera took off again and gained about 50 seconds on the pack.

At the finish line, Cuban faces showed concern, but with five kilometers to go to the end, the Colombians put the group just 14 seconds behind a leader who logically was fading physically.

Arlenis boarded that train and then it was known that she could prevail, as her fierceness in the sprint, her experience and audacity are beyond all doubt.

She was never at the front of the race, except in that closing when she put her front wheel forward and raised her arms in a sign of victory. Indescribable was the joy of those who lived every pedal stroke with the hope that a just and deserved victory, if such a thing exists in sports, would not slip away.

Several meters beyond the finish line she stopped, surrounded by her teammates, coaches and delegation officials. She was happy, smiling and "fresh as a daisy." At least that's how she looked. She spoke calmly and fluently with the large press present on Jerusalem Avenue, the heart of an almost 10-kilometer circuit that the cyclists completed 11 times.

"Mexico and Colombia made for a difficult team for me. I had to defend myself and trust that I wouldn't be left alone. My teammates helped at the beginning, I asked them not to let the gap be more than 30-40 seconds. When the Mexican took off alone I wasn't worried because the Colombians wouldn't allow her to go. They marked one by one, then they stopped doing it and then I attacked one of them and they started doing it again. On the last lap I responded to everything they attacked me with and I won," narrated the Manzanillo native.

"The truth is I felt tired from the start. I have a cold. But it was the last race here and I went out to give it my all," she added for good measure.

When asked about the feat of winning the time trial and the road race, Arlenis explained that she saw the first one as easier, because "the road race is harder, I could be left alone. If the route were flat it would be easier, but on the climbs they attack you one by one and if you respond to everything you can run out of strength," she said before dedicating the victory to her people.

Arlenis crossed the finish line in 2:52:13 hours, followed by Colombian Lilibeth Chacón and Guatemalan Jazmín Soto, who had identical times.

In the men's race, won by Venezuelan Orluis Aular, Cubans Ricardo Delgado, José Domínguez, Gian Hernández and Pedro Portuondo finished in 11th, 25th, 36th and last (group) places, respectively.