Valentina Basílico claimed victory in the fourth stage of the Vuelta a Colombia Femenina 2024, a 134-kilometre race from Ciénaga to Bosconia. The 21-year-old Italian rider, representing the Eneicat-CM Team, crossed the line first with a time of 3:29:16, narrowly edging out New Zealand’s Rylee McMullen and Bolivia’s Wanda Villanueva in a tightly contested sprint finish.
Reflecting on her win, Basílico shared, “It’s the third stage where I’ve reached the sprint. We tried to win the first two, but many things went wrong. Today was a different day. As I always say, you have to focus on the next day because it’s not good to dwell on the past. Everything went well today. We’re happy and we’ve done a great job.”
Paula Latriglia, the top Colombian finisher, secured fourth place, just behind the lead group. Despite the intense sprint, the general classification saw no major changes. Ecuador’s Esther Galarza, who triumphed in the third stage, retained her position at the top of the leaderboard with an overall time of 12:57:10. Galarza maintains a slim four-second lead over Estefanía Herrera, with Venezuelan rider Lilibeth Chacón trailing by 22 seconds.
The race continues on Saturday with the queen stage, a 121.2-kilometre route from Valledupar to Pueblo Bello, taking the riders into the mountainous terrain of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. The Vuelta a Colombia Femenina will conclude on Sunday with a 28.1-kilometre individual time trial in Valledupar. The current champion, Lilibeth Chacón, will face stiff competition as the riders battle it out for the overall title.
2024 Vuelta Colombia Stage 4 result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: Anderson Bonilla
