The final act of the 2025 Tour El Salvador belonged to Kaja Rysz, who powered to her first professional victory in the Grand Prix Surf City after an impeccably timed sprint finish in La Libertad. The 26-year-old Pole, riding for Roland Cycling, emerged from a reduced bunch to beat Laura Tomasi and Sara Fiorin after 110 km of coastal racing from San Salvador to the Surf City adventure park.
With legs still heavy from the previous day’s mountain test to Cerro Verde, the peloton took a more conservative approach through the opening kilometres. No serious breakaway attempts materialised on the fast, open roads, and the bunch remained largely intact as it made its way south from the capital.
The route traced a scenic but rolling line, beginning outside the National Palace in San Salvador and heading through San Jacinto, the Planes de Renderos, and along the coastal highway to Zacatecoluca. The final run-in along the Carretera Litoral was exposed and technical, but with no late climbs or crosswinds to force splits, the sprinters’ teams took control.
In the final metres, Rysz surged through the centre of the road, taking advantage of a well-timed lead-out and holding off Tomasi and Fiorin by the narrowest of margins. Mia Griffin and Arianna Fidanza completed the top five, all separated by no more than five seconds in a tightly contested finish.
For Rysz, it was a career milestone. A former standout at Atom Deweloper, she had already shown promise earlier in the season with top-10 finishes at Gent-Wevelgem and stage 3 of the Tour El Salvador. Her result in Surf City confirmed her form and capped a consistent week of racing in Central America.
Quotes from the finish
“It’s my first pro win, and to do it here, in this setting, after such a hard tour, means a lot,” said Rysz at the finish. “I knew I had the legs, but in a sprint like this, you also need the right moment. The team believed in me, and it came together perfectly.”
The win also marked the closing moment of the 10-day Tour El Salvador block, which included four Grand Prix races and a four-stage tour. Elena Hartmann had already secured the overall Tour title earlier in the week, but Rysz’s victory gave Roland Cycling a final flourish in a campaign dominated largely by Ceratizit Pro Cycling.
Tomasi, winner of the GP El Salvador, and Fiorin, a stage winner at the Tour, both rode strong races to again feature on the podium. Both showed consistency across multiple race days and were key figures in the late-season Central American block.
The racing across El Salvador featured over 100 riders from more than 30 countries, and with finishes ranging from the archaeological parks to mountain summits and now the coast, the variety offered a unique early-season challenge. For riders like Rysz, it was the perfect springboard into a summer campaign with confidence and momentum.
2025 Grand Prix Surf City El Salvador result
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