Arlenis Sierra triumphs in Italy and makes history for Cuban cycling

October 6, 2021

Her results make her the best female cyclist of all time in Cuba in both sexes.

Cuban cyclist Arlenis Sierra, who races for the A.R Monex club, won the first female edition of the Tre Valli Varesini race, a competition held over 92.4km between the towns of Busto Arsizio and Varese, in Italy.

The Cuban crossed the finish line with her arms raised, with a time of 2 hours, 27 minutes and 14 seconds, according to EFE's report.

With this victory, Sierra adds eight podiums in the season, plus fifth place in the World Road Championship, celebrated last September. These results make her the best cyclist in Cuban history in both sexes.

The Manzanillo native had obtained second place in the recent Giro di Emilia, as she had done previously in the Tour de L'Ardéche, in two stages of the Giro di Toscana and in the Gran Premio de Navarra.

Also, she finished in 34th place at the recently held Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

With the new victory in Italy, Sierra concludes her 2021 season. "I feel happy about the excellent results for me, for the team and for everyone who is close to me. (…) I will rest, even if it's for two weeks and I will start training with physical preparation. You can't stop thinking about the future, a strong Olympic cycle awaits us," she said to the official Cuban site Jit.

The best Cuban cyclist improved with this result three positions in the world ranking and displays 760 points there, placed in the 28th position of the International Cycling Union (UCI). Her placement is the best of a Latin American in a list dominated by Dutch, Belgian, Italian and French cyclists.

Of the 72 runners who participated in the Tre Valli Varesini race, 60 were Italian and Arlenis was the only Latin American.