In an effort to accentuate its presence in the west of the country, bank more Venezuelans, position its brand and promote the sport for its intimate relationship with well-being and quality of life, Bancamiga participated in the fourth edition of the Gran Fondo Collado del Condor, in the state of Mérida, an event that brought together more than 1,000 cyclists from all over Venezuela.

The presence of Bancamiga touched on several lines of action that included sponsorship, realization of an operation to open accounts and deliver the debit card, hydration point and support five kilometers from the finish, and the participation of a team of collaborators, accompanied by Ambassador Amanda Dudamel, who covered 42 kilometers starting at 2,206 meters above sea level. A few days before, Dudamel accompanied the Executive President Ariel Martínez and the Director Alberto Camardiel, in the Conecta2 program which also made reference to the cycling event from Mérida.

This Saturday, the competitors in the four distances that were in dispute faced a demanding route, in a heavenly atmosphere that changed according to altitude. The 125 kilometres started from Estanques at 456 m asl; 80 km from Mérida at 1,630 m asl; 42 km from Escagüey at 2,206 m asl and 26 km from Mucuchíes at 2,983 m asl.

The president of the Board of Directors of Bancamiga, Carmelo De Grazia, said that the institution is committed to promoting sport in the country, especially when it benefits communities that drive the economic and tourism development of the country, such as, in this case, those of the state of Mérida.

“The Gran Fondo Collado del Cóndor has been a great opportunity to position the brand and bring Venezuelans closer to our innovative products and services. During Thursday and Friday we were with an operation at the Belensate Hotel, which allowed the inhabitants of Merida, as well as competitors and relatives to open their accounts with us, and learn about our financial facilities,” he said.

Triumphs with records

From the support point of Bancamiga, five kilometers from the finish, each of the cyclists could be seen on their way to the finish at almost 4,200 meters above sea level, one of the most emblematic places of the Venezuelan Andes. They passed by exhausted, almost unable to speak but all with the only desire to reach the top.

And the first to do so in the longest and most demanding event of this fourth edition, the 125 kilometers, was Alfonso Márquez, who had just won in 2023 with 6 hours 17 minutes. This year he did it with record time at 6 hours.

“I end with emotions in the flesh. If you catch me coming, you get me crying. This is an event that brings me a lot of nostalgia and is by far the best in the country. I’m just looking forward to next year’s. I thank Bancamiga for helping to make it happen.”

He said that during the long journey from Estanques he thought a lot about a phrase of his brother: “Happiness is a way to travel to a destination. That’s why I always go happy.”

In women’s, Marlene Goncalves also repeated. He said he felt “super good” and that the hardest part of the competition was the lack of oxygen after the 2,500m, which definitely affects your performance. “Height makes this very difficult,” he added.

The young cyclist invited other women to try and start with small distances. “The challenge is to overcome yourself. My goal was to improve my time and I managed to finish in 6h22 minutes (6h58m in 2023). This is a competition against yourself. And thanks to Bancamiga for their support.”

A unique experience

Among the 1,000 participants was a team of Bancamiga and allied companies formed by Alberto Camardiel, Jonel Reyes, Ángel García, Rodolfo Aponte, Carlos Rosales, Gustavo Gómez, Daniel Torres, Jhonny Frías, Francisco Vásquez and Thomas Silveira.

Ángel García, director of Planning and Budget, was doing so for the first time. He said that “it was more of a personal challenge than competing. As the world’s largest ascent by bike, reaching Collado del Condor is an unforgettable experience.”

“Last year I wanted to come but I wasn’t ready, so from March 2023 I started shooting and from August on a more consistent basis. We did it on weekends and sometimes during the week.”

He said he loved cycling, because it is a discipline that is synonymous with health, because it strengthens the cardiovascular system, muscles, allows to see spectacular landscapes and provides the opportunity to share and forge new groups of friends.

Another member was Rodolfo Aponte, manager of Financial Operations and with nine years in cycling. He indicated that he came again to do the 125 kilometers, after the hard experience of last year.

“Reaching the Condor is unforgettable. This year I felt better and that was because I had more experience, I knew the route better and I had better training.”

One who debuted was Daniel Torres, Human Management Compensation and Benefits Coordinator. He was drawn to participate for several reasons, including “their beautiful landscapes.”

“My family is from Boconó, Trujillo state, which, like Merida, has spectacular places. I’ve always wanted to ride a bike through the Andean moors. I couldn’t do it in 2023 and my sports plan was 80 km.”

On this occasion, the Bancamiga team was accompanied by the institution’s ambassador Amanda Dudamel. With her medal in hand she said that “this is a triumph of the Bancamiga team and of the whole of Venezuela. Today we show that together we are a team.”

While thanking her partner (Daniel), who also did the 42 kilometers and had to face some setbacks, the former universal viceroy of beauty and entrepreneur said that “one of the lessons that this challenge leaves us is the ability to fall, get up and overcome obstacles.”

With information and images provided by Bancamiga Banco Universal

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