Catalina Soto Campos of Laboral Kutxa won the women’s elite road race at the 2026 Pan American Road Championships on Saturday, taking gold for Chile after a fast 120.6km race that ended in a bunch sprint in Cereté, near Montería. Soto Campos stopped the clock in 2:59:20 and came through ahead of Argentina’s Julieta Benedetti and Colombia’s Diana Peñuela, adding the continental title to the double national crown she claimed only a couple of weeks ago.
The women’s elite race at the Pan American Road Championships was held over 120.6km on Colombian roads around Cereté, with the host nation looking to continue its strong run through the week. Colombia had already built momentum across the championships and arrived at the women’s road race with real expectations of another medal, especially on home roads and with the crowd behind them.
What emerged instead was a tightly contested race that never quite split decisively enough for the pure climbers or late attackers to gain lasting separation. The course and the way it was raced kept a larger front group together deep into the finale, which meant positioning and timing became increasingly important as the kilometres ticked down.
Chile had a clear card to play in Soto Campos, who came into the race in strong form. The 29-year-old had already underlined her condition by winning both the Chilean national time trial and road race titles earlier in March, and that recent sharpness showed in the way she handled the final phase of this race. Rather than needing to force the issue from a distance, she was able to stay in contention and trust her finish.
Argentina also placed a rider in the decisive group through Julieta Benedetti, while Colombia’s hopes centred on Diana Peñuela, who stayed in touch through the closing kilometres and ensured the home team remained in the medal fight. With no late move, managing to stay clear, the race built towards a mass sprint from the main group.
A bunch sprint decides the medals
That final shape mattered. Once the race came back together for the finish, the title was always likely to go to the rider who could best combine endurance with composure after nearly three hours of racing. Soto Campos proved to be the quickest in that moment.
She surged to victory in the sprint to take the gold medal and the title of 2026 Pan American road race champion, with Benedetti finishing second for Argentina. Peñuela crossed the line in the same time as the winner to secure bronze for Colombia in a tight finish, giving the host nation another podium place in a championship that has already brought them a strong medal haul.
For Soto Campos, it was an important confirmation of the level she is currently riding at. The Chilean, a two-time Olympian from Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, had arrived in Colombia with form and left with one of the biggest one-day wins of her career.
What it means
This is a significant result for Soto Campos and for Chilean cycling. Winning the Pan American elite road race title adds major continental weight to a season that was already building nicely after her national championship double. For Colombia, Peñuela’s bronze kept the home team’s medal run going and added another strong result to an already impressive week in Montería. Just as importantly, the finish showed that Colombia remained competitive right to the line in one of the championship’s headline events.
Pan American Road Championships 2026 Result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
