GFNY Cozumel decided in incredible sprint finish

November 11, 2021

Flat GFNY Cozumel not a race for rookies due to Mayan winds

In the early hours of last Sunday, 2000 riders started at what we can probably call one of the hardest editions of GFNY Cozumel so far. The long, competitive 100-mile course is a double-loop around the beautiful island of Cozumel, with two 40 km long King of the Wind (KOW) sections along the exposed East coast of the island..

The pace was high from the start and coming into the first KOW section, the front peloton was around 100 riders strong. Wind always plays a factor at GFNY Cozumel, but this time the KOW had a mighty headwind instead of the usual cross winds which made breakaways hard. But that didn’t stop attacks from happening: Alan Carillo and Eduardo Garita Gamboa created a successful break and managed to increase their lead up to 2 minutes over the peloton by the end of the first lap. By the time the peloton organized the chase had caught up to the two leaders, it was whittled down to 50 riders.

In the second KOW section, Edibaldo Maldonado went solo and put the peloton behind him. But heading back into town, the stretched out peloton caught Maldonado: and a bunch finish was inevitable. The last roll of the dice came by 3-time Mexican national champ and 2015 winner Luis Lemus, who rode solo with less than 15 km to go. However, the bunch was never out of sight and the pace increased all the way to the end.

It was a battle to the last corner, where the fastest sprinter proved to be Costa Rican Eduardo Garita Gamboa in 3:47:14 who outsprinted Maldonado (Mex). Two time champion Flavio De Luna (Mex) rounded out the men’s podium.

In the women’s competition, it was GFNY Mazatlan winner Antonieta Gaxiola who finished in 3:47:20, with Andrea Flores (Mex) and Montserrat Camargo (Mex) finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively. Impressive: the top 5 women all arrived in the lead peloton!

Both champions have won a VIP entry at the GFNY World Championship in New York City on May 15, 2022, where they will have to conquer Bear Mountain. Having shown their speed and strength on this flat and fast course, the GFNY World Championship in NYC next May will be an entirely different beast to conquer.

“GFNY Cozumel has everything a racer desires: challenging conditions on a perfect course with great competition.” says GFNY CEO Uli Fluhme. “But it is so much more: it’s a fiesta on bikes for anyone who loves road cycling and a great beach vacation to end the year. Who doesn’t?”

GFNY Endurance Sports Series now heads even further South with the 3rd edition of GFNY Chile this Sunday. 1000 riders are ready to tackle the infamous Muro de Tunqen and its 27% steepness reaching from the Pacific coast into the Casablanca hills just outside Santiago de Chile.

About GFNY Global Endurance Sports Series

GFNY Global Endurance Sports Series is a sports event company with three decades of experience in racing, planning and organizing events. The global endurance sports brand hosts multiple events throughout the year around the world on five continents.

Working with partners around the world to deliver a first-class experience, GFNY Global Endurance Sports Series puts their athletes first.

Cycling

20 plus events around the world. View the 2021-2022 calendar here

Riders get to BE A PRO FOR A DAY ® by competing against others, themselves and the clock in a personal endurance challenge.

Top 10% (20% at regional championships) of finishers in each age group qualify for the Racer Corral at every GFNY World event.

GFNY World Championship NYC

The 10th annual GFNY World Championship New York will be held on May 15, 2022. The race features the world’s most international peloton with riders from over 90 countries. Athletes take on a challenging 100-mile route from NYC to Bear Mountain to Fort Lee to compete against each other, the clock and themselves in a personal endurance challenge.

The official GFNY website is: www.gfny.com.

Further Material for Media Use

GFNY Cozumel video: here

GFNY Press Images: here

GFNY Results: here

GFNY World calendar graphic: here

Previous GFNY press releases: here

Media Contact

Gran Fondo New York Inc.

Jenna van der Heide, jenna@gfny.com

Uli Fluhme, uli@gfny.com