The Collado del Cóndor Gran Fondo makes history in Venezuelan cycling
In addition to the Guinness certification as the race with the longest climb in the world, the sextet consisting of José Rujano, Alfonso Márquez, José Alarcón, Jeison Avendaño, Edwin Becerra, and Alan Noya achieved the best time of the five editions with the “Reto Bancamiga Ultrabikex” (Bancamiga Ultrabikex Challenge): 5:03 minutes
Cyclists from all over the country took to Mérida state to witness a historic event: the Guinness certification of the fifth edition. of the Gran Fondo Collado del Cóndor (GFCDC).
One thousand cyclists from all Venezuelan states participated this Sunday, March 23rd, in the GFCDC across four distances, one of which (125 km) earned Guinness certification as the race with the longest climb in the world.
Organized by Ultrabikex and streamed on its YouTube channel, a group of cyclists set off from Estanques, 425 meters above sea level, to summit the Collado del Cóndor, at 4,200 meters above sea level. It was the first of four starts scheduled for the morning, which would take place from different locations.
Over this 125 km distance, Bancamiga promoted the Bancamiga Ultrabikex Challenge, which featured professional cyclists José Rujano (2004, 2005, 2010, and 2015), José Alarcón (2023), and Edwin Becerra (2025) and the renowned amateurs Alfonso Márquez (winner of the Gran Fondo Collado del Cóndor in 2023 and 2024), Alan Noya, and Jeison Avendaño.
Through the “Bancamiga Ultrabikex Challenge,” an initiative of Alberto Camardiel, Executive Director of Marketing, Products, and Services at Bancamiga, the goal was for at least four of them to reach the finish line in under 5:15 minutes. This Sunday, the tireless efforts of these six cyclists allowed them to cross the finish line in 5:03 minutes, a record that Alarcón believes will stand for years to come.
For Camardiel, the Bancamiga Ultrabikex Challenge is a way to promote cycling in the country and to make the Collado del Cóndor Gran Fondo a benchmark for Latin American and global cycling. In addition to its Guinness certification, it opens the door for other cyclists around the world to see this achievement as a record worth breaking.
On a day with excellent weather conditions, the fifth edition of the GFCDC saw Nelson Peña win the 125-kilometer race with a time of 5:12.06 seconds and Lilibeth Chacón with 5:35.32.
Two cyclists will compete in Egan Bernal’s Gran Fondo
As in previous editions, the event brought together cyclists across four distances: Mucuchíes (26 kilometers); Valle Hermoso (46 kilometers); Mérida (80 kilometers); and Estanques (125 kilometers).
One of the highlights was the participation of Olympic athlete Joselyn Brea, who reached the final of the 5,000-meter race at Paris 2024 and also left the national team proud in the 1,500-meter race.
This Sunday, Brea won the 80-kilometer race. She acknowledged that it was a very demanding race, especially in the final stretch, but that the support of the people, Bancamiga employees and volunteers at the entertainment and hydration stations along the route, and the beautiful scenery provided her with inspiration to face the final kilometers.
She expressed that her participation in the Collado del Cóndor Gran Fondo served as training while she recovers from an injury. She hopes to return to athletics in the coming weeks.
During the GFCDC, two all-expenses-paid packages to attend the Egan Bernal Cycling Gran Fondo in Colombia in November were raffled off. Participants in the 125-kilometer race, Ericka Urrea and Thomas Silveira, were awarded prizes.
For Colombian cyclist Camilo Reina, who attended the GFCDC and is a partner of 2019 Tour de France champion Egan Bernal, what he experienced this Sunday in Mérida was wonderful. On his first visit to Venezuela and the region, he was able to experience the state’s beautiful landscapes and the high level of Venezuelan cycling firsthand.
He hopes that, in addition to Urrea and Silveira, many Venezuelans will compete in the Cycling Gran Fondo organized by Bernal, and that many Colombians will also compete in the Collado del Cóndor Gran Fondo next year.
With information from Bancamiga Banco Universal and Ultrabikex
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