Peña Delivers Rock Racing Another Victor
La Union, Colombia — Victor
Hugo Peña scored Rock Racing’s second victory at the Vuelta a Colombia
by attacking out of a 12-man breakaway three miles from the finish of a
cold and rain-soaked Stage 7 on Saturday.
Peña,
a former yellow jersey wearer at the Tour de France, freewheeled across
the line 18 seconds ahead of Edwin Orozco (Orgullo Paisa) to win the
101.6-mile (163.6 km) race. Wilson Marentes (Colombia es
Pasión-Coldeportes-Alpina) was third, 32 seconds behind.
Peña’s win comes 10 years after he last won a stage in his national tour.
“I’m very happy for this win because it has been several years and I haven’t had a win,” Pena told Luis Barbosa of Ciclismohoy.com.
“I was amazed that I could take such a hard stage of the race in such
difficult conditions. I dedicate this victory to my wife, Erika, and my
sons, Mateo, Sofia and Paolo.”
The victory is the 13th by Rock Racing this season and Peña’s first win in four years in his 12th season as a professional.
Rock
Racing Team Director Mariano Friedrick said the pre-race strategy was
to get either Peña or teammate Tyler Hamilton in a breakaway. Peña
bridged a 45-second gap to join the decisive group.
“With
such powerful climbers in the break, we came up with the idea of
attacking in the flats to get them into oxygen debt before the last
climb,” Friedrick said. “We also agreed that Victor needed to keep his
own rhythm rather than following attacks because it was going to kill
his legs.”
Peña
survived a flurry of action at the base of the final climb, then threw
down his own attack to shed everyone but Orozco and Marentes.
“He kept a time trial effort up the climb and then hit it again and dropped the rest. It was fantastic,” Friedrick said.
Sunday’s
stage is a 19.2-mile (31 km) uphill time trial from Cri Medellin to
Santa Elena. Rock Racing’s Oscar Sevilla lies 13th overall, 3:57 off
the overall lead of Wilson Cepeda (UNE).
— RRC —
Rock Racing's Victor Hugo Peña celebrates his solo victory on the seventh stage of the Vuelta a Colombia.
