After two years of ceding first overall place to guest riders from foreign teams, a Tica was crowned queen of the annual Women’s Costa Rica Tour, an honor that Milagro Mena was far from expecting.

Although Milagro Mena has been competing in the cycling world for a few years, she is foremost a mountain bike (MTB) rider. Nonetheless, in the run-up to the Vuelta Femenina INS a Costa Rica (the Women’s Tour), her sponsors called upon her to join the racing team as a substitute in a supporting role. Miss Mena did not think twice and answered the call of the Scotiabank / Dos Pinos / Ciclo Guilly team, which happens to be her MTB sponsor.

Despite her lack of practice in the racing discipline, Miss Mena found herself wearing the leader’s pink jersey after a couple of stages. She welcomed the challenge of racing against Flavia Oliveira, a tough Brazilian racer who is known across Latin America as a formidable cyclist.

Miss Mena was able to hold on to her ample lead until the final stage, which was a 76-kilometer circuit around La Sabana Metropolitan Park on Sunday morning. Miss Mena did not win the final stage; that honor went to Ingrid Drexel of the strong Mexican team, whose members have dominated during their previous visits to the Costa Rica Tour. The final sprint was between Mexican riders, Miss Oliveira and the Venezuelan climber Gleydimar Tapia.

In the end, Miss Mena held on to the pink jersey to win the Tour. She offered the following words:

This is all thanks to God because I could not have responded to Flavia’s challenge without divine help; my legs hurt and I’m not a machine. The last stage was really tough; I did not think I was going to make it but I guess I did, thank God. This is all teamwork; my sponsors Scotiabank / Dos Pinos / Ciclo Guilly trusted me and put me in a great team, to whom I owe this victory.

After resting, Miss Mena plans to return to MTB action.

Source: Costa Rica Cycling Federation