La Leyenda del Caribe Stage 3 | Highlights
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All content: La Leyenda del Caribe / Mibuc
Hotel Ocean El Faro – Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Cattle farms, banana plantations, rocky ridges and reed beds were part of the incredible landscapes that competitors saw on Stage 3 of Leyenda del Caribe, Sugar Cane. The third stage returned to a slightly longer route, with 72km of very varied terrain that helped our riders enjoy their fourth day of competition after a punishing day before.
The finish of the stage was in the Domitai Theme Park, where racers were greeted with a taste of Dominican folklore from a musical and dance group that was waiting for them. After the demanding and ever-hot ride, everyone had the chance to take a refreshing dip in a beautiful freshwater Cenote, where they could swim and dance in an underground nightclub! What more could you ask for?! As Paula Cano, Legend in 2022, said, “all stages should end like this. What a delight to be in a place like this after riding 72 kilometres.”
Faithful believers in La Leyenda
As the days go by, there is a chance to find out how each racer has a different story of how they arrived to La Leyenda and to see that they continue to believe in the team and participating in these events.
The story of Mathias Linssen, the first-ever racer, is impressive. Mathias was the first person who trusted the project and the organization will never tire of thanking him. On that first day of launching the race, when it was found out that attending the event was the first racer who signed up for La Leyenda in 2016, everybody knew it was a special occasion. As Mathias told us, “La Leyenda del Dorado was an incredible experience. I loved competing in its first version and now in the first La Leyenda del Caribe”.
Since the first version of La Leyenda Series in Cali, Colombia, many new people have come to join this great family, like Paola Galvis, a participant in two versions of La Leyenda Series and a registered racer for La Leyenda 2023 too. Her journey began with the weekend format events and now she’s participating in the stage races. It is exciting to see her evolution!
Another clear example of what it is to be a believer in La Leyenda is Camilo Páez. He had to wait patiently since signing up to race La Leyenda in 2019, but it wasn’t until 2022 that he was finally able to tackle the race. To prepare he raced the two versions of La Leyenda Series in Cali and Caldas. Finally, last summer, the wait was over. Now he’s racing La Leyenda del Caribe and is signed up for the upcoming La Leyenda del Dorado too. “I had to wait a long time to be able to race my first Leyenda and it really changed my life. It changed my way of seeing things, my relationship with my family and my health… I wouldn’t change it for anything,” he said.
Riders are now resting in preparation for the final stage of La Leyenda del Caribe 2023. The end is in sight, but without a doubt the physical exhaustion is catching up. They’re at a point in the week in which they must dig deep into their reserves if they want to maintain their position in the classification or even improve it. The following stage will be decisive. However, everyone is now only one day away from being able to be call themselves Legends – just 60km to La Vacama Beach stands in their way, ridden all the way, with stunning views of the Caribbean Sea to spur them on. The last day of their 2023 race, but surely not the last time they’ll be riding in the Dominican Republic…
