Costa Rican win for Castro

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Costa Rican Esteban Castro gave his team Bufete Guzmán y Álvarez-Exeltec its very first victory in the history of La Vuelta Ciclista Internacional a Costa Rica. Castro won today¹s fourth stage between La Fortuna of San Carlos, at the North of the country, and Liberia, the business capital of the North Pacific province of Guanacaste.

The Bufete Guzmán y Álvarez-Exeltec is the newest cycling club of Costa Rica and this year marked its inaugural participation in the national road tour.

Esteban Castro, best known as El Loco, completed the 190.1 kilometre stage - the longest for this year's event - on a time of 4:56:42 seconds, 21 seconds ahead of the main group. Second and third places went to Colombian Carlos Pulgarín and William Valencia (Greatwall-Indeportes Antioquia).

The winner jumped out of the peloton with some 30 kilometers to go, after the peloton had reeled in the three riders that had starred the longest breakaway of the tour so far. Local Luis Rojas (Bufete Guzmán y Álvarez.Exeltec), Eduardo Garita (Citibank-Economy Rent a Car-Blue) and Hersson Jiménez (Plycem-JPS-Orbea) attacked early in the stage and moved out to an advantage of 11 minutes in the middle of the race, before being caught on the flattest section of the course.

The biggest shock of the day was the decision of the Russian Team to abandoned the competition in protest for the disqualification of its sprinter Alexander Khatuntsev for cutting the course on Friday's stage.

The next stage will take place tomorrow on a 140 kilometre course between Liberia and Esparza.