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By Haroldo Camacho
From March 13-17 the 51st Veterans' Classic was staged and raced in beautiful Guatemala. The event was organized by the Guatemalan Cycling Federation, the same organization that stages the yearly and competitive UCI Vuelta a Guatemala. This year 113 competitors participated in the Classic (77 Guatemalan and 36 foreign riders).
Aside from 77 competitors from the host country, 36 foreign riders participated including riders from Germany, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Guadalajara, Mexico, Los Angeles, North Carolina, and Panama. Riders participated entirely on their own or in teams including Team Guatemala (from Los Angeles, California); Team Charlotte, North Carolina; Papillon from Guadalajara, Mexico; Santa Ana from El Salvador; and national Guatemalan teams Digital Print, La Brazileña, Radio Punto-Motores Hino, Bicimanía, and Pizza Hut from Costa Rica.
The competitors participated in six different age categories, as well as an open women's category, with racers from Guatemala and El Salvador who recently medalled in the Central American Games.
The oldest cyclist was Mr. León Dua Fillet who at 77 years old was one of the main protagonists of the Platinum category (60+), which had 12 participants. Mr. Fillet came to Guatemala in 1949 at the age of 24 to participate in the Vuelta a Guatemala, and decided to stay. He has been living and racing in Guatemala ever since.
For the younger categories the route covered 260 kms and the older categories raced over 175 kms. Each category had its own King of the Mountain and Sprints jerseys for the daily leaders and final winners. The last stage's mountain prime was a First Category climb equal to the Coppi Summit which is one of the legendary mountain primes in the Giro de Italia.
For the first time in the event's history, it began with a Prologue at the Nacional Velodrome, a concrete track maintained in excellent shape. The Prologue was used to invest the leader's maillot on each category. Also for the first time cash awards were given to the top three in each category's final G.C. Each category had trophy awards for only the top ten riders in the G.C., which kept the competition very contested in each category. In fact, the top ten in each category were only decided on the final climb to Santa Elena. This climb begins at about 3,700' and in only 13 kms climbs to nearly 8,200'. The last mountain prime was only 900 meters beyond the finish line of the Tour for the Youth. The finish line was at the entrance to Santa Elena Barillas.
For veterans who wish to participate in a top class stage event, this event rates among the top in Central and South American masters's stage races.
1 Erick Barrientos (CRc) 7.15.31 2 Omar Oswaldo Ochoa (Gua) 0.55 3 Julio Antonio Cirici (Gua) 3.00 4 Luis Fernando Alvarado (Gua) 3.09 5 Mario Estuardo Quan (Gua) 10.42 6 Oscar Manuel Canel (Gua) 15.02 7 Marvin Eduardo Garcia Chaj (Gua) 18.50 8 Cesar Agusto Guzman (Gua) 21.09 9 Edgar Armando Garcia Chaj (Gua) 23.54 10 Carlton Flower (Bel) 24.09 11 Juan Carlos Castillo (Gua) 31.19 12 Leonel Hernandez (Gua) 31.57 13 Cristian Guirola (Gua) 34.07 14 Alejandro Cruz (Gua) 37.30 15 Manuel Antonio Siekavizza (Gua) 42.41 16 Walter Danilo Colocho (ESa) 1.06.21 DNF Mario Roberto Recinos (Gua) Metas Volantes 1 M Quan 10 2 Omar Ochoa 9 3 M Siekavissa 8 4 O Canel 4 5 E Morgan 4 6 C Flower 3 7 F Alvarado 3 8 W Colocho 1 Mountains 1 Omar Ochoa 20 2 E Barrios 17 3 F Alvarado 13 4 J Cirici 6 5 O Canel 2 6 M Garcia 1
1 Roberto Ballesteros (CRc) 7.49.45 2 Alfredo Saravia (Gua) 1.33 3 Carlos Raúl Villatoro (Gua) 9.21 4 Filiberto Dubon (ESa) 12.28 5 Allen Lopez (CRc) 13.11 6 Francisco Corado (Gua) 14.48 7 Rene Ortiz (Gua) 15.06 8 Sergio Ivan Contreras (Gua) 21.16 9 Gonzalo Hernandez (Gua) 23.34 10 Laurence Jimenez (CRc) 26.04 11 Luis Antonio Hernandez (Gua) 1.04.47 12 Manuel Alvarado (USA) 1.10.55 DNF Daniel Marroquin (Gua) DNF Alejandro Padilla (Gua) Metas Volantes 1 l Jimenez 13 2 F Corado 11 3 R Ortiz 4 4 F Dubon 3 5 A Saravia 3 6 A Padilla 3 7 A Lopez 2 8 R Ballesteros 2 9 L Hernandez 1 Mountains 1 R Ballesteros 26 2 A Saravia 13 3 A Lopez 11 4 F Dubon 4 5 R Ortiz 3 6 C Villatoro 2 7 L Jimenez 1 8 F Corado 1
1 Thomas Robert Fenig (USA) 6.08.40 2 Johann Friedrich Ober (Ger) 0.47 3 Oscar Enrique Gonzalez (Gua) 0.48 4 Roberto Valerin (CRc) 0.55 5 Carlos Humberto Aguilar (Gua) 1.46 6 Adilio de Jesus Yaque (Gua) 3.30 7 Jorge Arturo Monge (CRc) 3.59 8 Juan Rustrian (Gua) 4.32 9 Ernesto Anavisca (Gua) 6.20 10 Juan Antonio Gonzalez (Gua) 8.23 11 Edgar Anibal Ruiz Muñoz (Gua) 9.07 12 Manlio Alfredo Noack (Gua) 10.47 13 Louis Theodore Fischer (USA) 12.21 14 Rene Eduardo Barrios (Gua) 12.52 15 Jose Mario Rojas (Gua) 12.53 16 Luis Gustavo Ballart (CRc) 16.25 17 Ivan Orantes (Gua) 19.03 18 Boanerges Soto Perez (Gua) 19.07 19 Efren de Jesus Santos (Gua) 20.22 20 Edgar Alfredo Veras (Gua) 23.01 21 Otto Fernandez (Gua) 24.49 22 Jose Eduardo Ramiez (Gua) 26.10 23 Santiago Estrada (Gua) 30.23 24 Francisco Humberto Pixtun (Gua) 44.26 25 Anser Higido Cristal (Gua) 48.28 26 Nery Isidro Villatoro (Gua) 49.16 27 Edwin Castro (Gua) 49.40 28 Byron Quiñones (Gua) 1.21.30 DNF Edgar Mazariegos (Gua) DNF Oswaldo Rene Chacón (Gua) Metas Volantes 1 L Fischer 7 2 L Ballart 5 3 A Yaque 5 4 F Oberjohan 4 5 R Ballerin 3 6 C Aguilar 3 7 T Fenig 2 8 J Rustrian 1 Mountains 1 T Fenig 16 2 O Gonzalez 11 3 F OberJohan 8 4 T Balerin 7 5 C Aguilar 7 6 J Rustrian 1
1 Carlos Efrain Guzman (Gua) 5.15.02 2 Miguel Benitez (Mex) 0.31 3 Luis Alfonso Acevedo (USA) 1.28 4 Luis Enrique Pineda (Gua) 2.07 4 Luis Fernando Mejicanos (Gua) 2.07 6 Omar Romero (CRc) 2.20 7 Mario Alfonso Bravo (Gua) 2.39 8 Juan Carmen Jimenez (Gua) 2.42 9 Santiago Enrique Garcia (Gua) 3.15 10 Haroldo Samuel Camacho (USA/Col) 4.35 11 Agusto Ruiz (Hon) 5.43 12 Sergio Orlando Aguilar (Gua) 7.10 13 Ricardo Rodriguez (Gua) 8.11 14 Jose Domingo Cuchijay (Gua) 9.14 15 Juan Miguel Larios (Gua) 9.22 16 Felix Eduardo Aguilar (Gua) 12.01 17 Salvador Martinez (USA) 14.35 18 Felix Boche (Gua) 14.51 19 José Roberto Orellana (Gua) 26.59 20 Hector Vicente Meza (Gua) 31.35 21 Gabino Dominguez (Gua) 39.53 22 Abelino Andres Cutuco (Gua) 43.51 23 Faustino Lopez (Gua) 50.30 24 Cesar Valenzuela (Gua) 55.21 DNF Oscar Miguel Galvez (Hon) Metas Volantes 1 L Acevedo 11 2 S Aguilar 7 3 V Meza 5 4 J Larios 3 5 J Jimenez 2 6 A amacho 1 7 F Mejicano 1 Mountains 1 Caguar 20 2 M Benites 18 3 J Jimenez 7 4 L Pineda 4 5 F Mejicano 2 6 L Acevedo 1 7 O Romero 1
1 Antonio Iboy Sicaja (Gua) 6.03.47 2 David Arnulfo Miranda (ESa) 1.13 3 Roberto Antonio Garcia (ESa) 1.26 4 Armando Luis Castillo (Gua) 1.28 5 Miguel Santa Maria (Pan) 6.09 6 Raul Magaña (Mex) 11.18 7 Hector de Jesus merlos (Gua) 11.58 8 Leon Roger Dua Feillet (Gua) 12.38 9 Alfonso Portillo (ESa) 14.03 10 Jose Jimenez (Mex) 39.38 DNF Luis Enrique Aguilar (Mex) DNF Raul Veleta (USA) Metas Volantes 1 D Miranda 11 2 R Magaña 8 3 A Iboy 6 4 R Veleta 3 5 R Garcia 2 Mountains 1 A Iboy 16 2 D Miranda 13 3 A Garcia 7 4 A Castillo 4 5 M SantaMaria 3 6 R Magaña 1
1 Maria Dolores Molina (Gua) 8.12.28 2 Nadine Saca Kaire (Gua) 0.37 3 Lorena Garcia (Gua) 1.44 4 Evelyn Garcia (ESa) 2.12 5 Daisy Dubon (ESa) 17.31 6 Anabela Clara Lopez Lobos (Gua) 24.54 7 Olga Camey (Gua) 28.09 8 Carmen Elena Garcia-Rossi (Gua) 29.50 Metas Volantes 1 D Molina 17 2 E Garcia 11 3 L Garcia 6 4 D Dubon 5 5 N Saca 2 Mountains 1 L Garcia 25 2 N Saca 18 3 D Molina 15 4 E Garcia 8 5 D Dubon 2 6 A Lopez 1