City of Panama. The sixth edition of the Isthmus Crossing once again exceeded the expectations of the riders due to the unique route on the banks of the Panama Canal. From Shelter Bay Marina at 6:15 a.m. This past Sunday, the sixth edition of the Cruce del Istmo took place, with the presence of 350 cyclists, including locals and foreigners from 13 countries.

The Isthmus Crossing has become more than a challenge for every cyclist, it has become a complete adventure for lovers of mountain biking and outdoor adventures. For what it represents to cross the Isthmus of Panama first by road to the community of Escobal on the Costa Abajo of Colón. To then cross Gatún Lake in local fishermen’s cayucos, and begin a great challenge on the other side, pedaling along trails, cobblestone roads, many areas with mud, puddles, small streams, entering farms owned by local owners until reaching Veracruz (Pacific). SUP Academy).

For this year, the winner of the test in a heart-stopping sprint finish was the Herrera native Roberto Herrera, who completed the Crossing of the Isthmus in four hours, twenty-seven minutes and forty-six seconds (4:27:46). Followed by the American Patrik Collins, just six seconds behind (6”), while third place went to the Venezuelan Julio Monroy with a time of four hours, thirty-six minutes and forty-four seconds (4:36:44) .

In the female branch, Venezuelan Marcia Barrios, current Pan-American MTB Champion, repeated for the third consecutive year as the overall overall winner, completing the test in five hours, twenty-four minutes and thirty-six seconds (5:24:36). Followed by Dilcen Muñoz (5:47:04) and Jennifer Rondon (6:12:44).

Little by little, the runners arrived who would be placed in the different categories that were awarded, from the male and female General Classification, the open category and the master categories (male and female) as follows: 30, 40 and 50 years old old.

In this sense, the winners were:
Master 30: Edward Castillo and Sarah Krautwurst
Master 40: Mojamed Méndez and Erika Villarreal
Master 50: Pablo Francisco Duvillard and Olga Zuluaga

The most anticipated of yesterday afternoon was the last runner, who arrived after 5:00 p.m. This is Jorge Agrazal, who finished the 2023 Istmo Crossing in ten hours and fourteen minutes and four seconds (10:14:04), accompanied by the guide who closed the race, in the regulatory cut-off times for the safety of all participants. cyclists.

Source: https://pedalea365.com/el-cruce-del-istmo-se-ha-convierte-en-una-experiencia-de-mtb-unica-en-panama/