La third edition of the Tour of Mérida The race will consist of five stages covering 13 municipalities in the state, for a total distance of 505 kilometers. The competition will combine the cyclists' performance on terrain with steep inclines and natural landscapes representative of the state, reported the Secretary General of the Government, Yurami Quintero.
The sporting event will have as one of its main features the route through four of the five territorial axes of Mérida, with stages that will reach the municipality of Tulio Febres Cordero, (Nueva Bolivia) specifically Palmarito, a beach town located a few meters above sea level.
Likewise, the so-called queen stage will start from the Sucre municipality (Lagunillas) from the Urao Lagoon, and will ascend to one of the highest points in the state: the Mucubají Lagoon, located at more than 4.000 meters above sea level (m a.s.l.), in the Rangel municipality (Mucuchíes).
The competition will take place from September 16 to 20, Quintero specified, who highlighted that the event seeks to showcase the natural beauty of Mérida through the cyclists' journey through different landscapes of the state.
Regarding the awards ceremony, the Secretary General of the Government indicated that it will be imbued with local identity. The main trophies and individual prizes will be designed to highlight the five peaks of the Sierra Nevada, while the official t-shirts will incorporate national colors.
For his part, the president of the Mérida Cycling Association, Homero Leal, announced that the Vuelta a Mérida will include prizes in the Mountain A, B, and C categories, as well as in the Junior, Under-23, and Elite categories. A special award will also be given to the winner of the stage to the Mucubají Lagoon, among other distinctions.
“It is a high-level competition, designed for climbing cyclists, but it will also have stages to test sprinters and pacers, thanks to the topography of the state of Mérida and the route of the different stages,” Leal explained.
In terms of security and prevention, 2.500 officials will be deployed and 48 health posts will be active at the different starting and finishing points of each stage.
