Federico Ramírez (Grupo Orosi-Specialized) put a big difference on former pro rider José Adrián Bonilla (Citi-Economy-Blue) to win Costa Rica's AMPM XCO National Cup round four in the Orosi Valley, Cartago, Sunday.
Ramírez stopped the clock on a time of 1:28:05 after completing five laps to the 4.4-kilometer circuit of Orosi, a beautiful town surrounded by mountains and well known for its coffee plantations and multiple water sources such as rivers and lagoons. Bonilla was second at 2:05 while teammate Jonathan Carballo was third at more than three minutes behind.
The result also pushed "Lico" to the top of the general classification with only one more stop to finish this year's cup season.
As for the women's race, it was a little less exciting because Adriana Rojas (Specialized Team) easily dominated the race and completed the four-lap distance with a time of 1:35:25. She was way ahead of Avimil's top duo of Edith Guillén (at 12:51) and Katherine Herrera (at 19:47).
"I felt pretty good today. I knew I had to fight for the first place today to gain positions and to get to the top," said Ramírez after crossing the line. "This year's battle for the Cup is much harder than in the past years. There are still a few of us with real options, so I'm sure we will all fight until the last minute to see who's going to keep the trophy this time."
Ramírez earned valuable points and claimed the leader's jersey indeed. However, he knows his 520 points give no reason for early celebrations. Citi-Economy's Enrique Artavia and Coopenae-Coronado-Trek's Deiber Esquivel are in second and third place respectively, both with 455 points.
The fifth and final round of this 2011's "AMPM" Cup is going to be held on July 17, at the Tecnológico University campus in Cartago, a place that has hosted the event in the past.
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