(Editor’s Note: Josh Liberles (who you may recall from his recent story about training in Maui) is a Portland, Oregon-based road racer. He is racing in the Vuelta Independencia, a 10-stage race in the Dominican Republic and will be providing VeloNews.com readers with periodic updates and a photo gallery) Josh crashed out of the race on the penultimate stage, for the final stage he reported from the sidelines.
By Josh Liberles
Etapa 8 – Circuit Cerrado, Santo Domingo: 116km and Wrap-up
A 14-lap, 116 kilometer circuit race marked the finale for the Vuelta Independencia and, again, we would witness grit, determination and athletic excellence as well as some of the sport’s downsides.
The loop ran along the Caribbean coast of Santo Domingo before turning inland and up a short, three-part stair-step climb back towards the start/finish line. A breakaway group including longtime Dominican phenom Wendy Cruz (VCSM – Santiago), who posed a threat in the green jersey sprint competition, was off the front for much of the race, but the peloton gave them rope and allowed them to dangle before swallowing them up late in the game.
Although the stage race-ending event was probably the most mellowly paced of the week, due to tired legs there were still many riders who were falling off the back, opening up gaps in the process. Several teammates of overall GC leader Augusto Sanchez (Aro & Pedal) used this as part of their tactics — they’d drop out of the peloton and pull over to the side of the road only to sneak back into the race later, setting pace for their team leader.
My teammates witnessed another shady pre-race occurrence that, surprisingly, wasn’t better concealed. A team’s director distributed pharmaceutical vials to each of his racers, which went straight into their jersey pockets, before the start. Could this have been legal boosters, herbal or caffeine cocktails to improve energy and focus? Certainly. But the method of delivery and appearance of the containers, combined with the reputation for drug use in races throughout Latin America, fueled our suspicions. There was doping control on one day of the event, testing three riders after the time trial. While not economically viable, I’d love to see the whole peloton tested after a stage — that’d shake things up.
The Gringo Diaries wouldn’t be complete without one last tale of a harrowing experience. Apparently the race’s circuit course wasn’t as “cerrado” (closed) as advertised. As the peloton entered a roundabout at high speed, after descending from the course’s climb, an SUV somehow got onto the road at the same time and had to jam on its brakes. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise — moments later, a bus swung around the same rotary and onto the course at 60kph and, if not for the presence of the SUV, likely would’ve had an up-close encounter with the head of the pack.
As for the race, it all came back together on the final climb. Two Mauricio Baez riders, Euris Vidal and Deivi Capellán, went 1-2 in the bunch sprint finish in front of Spidertech’s Eric Boily, and Augusto Sanchez comfortably defended the overall lead in his country’s greatest cycling event. Dubious actions of his teammates notwithstanding, Sanchez, who has also represented his country in the Olympics, had put together a phenomenal week of racing.
My three remaining Ten Speed Drive presented by BH Bikes teammates — Jaime Gandara, Garrett White and Justin Maka — weathered the storm and finished with the lead pack, in 17th, 18th and 57th, respectively.
I’ve very quickly gone from zero race days to having nine events and over 1,000 high-quality kilometers, plus some pre- and post-race junk miles, in my legs. Once I recover and heal up, I should be well-primed to tackle a full U.S. season, and maybe we’ll even be able to put together another, similar foreign race adventure together soon.
The Aftermath – Good Times and Playing Tourist
After wrapping up the race and getting some extra sleep — and for me, plenty of anti-inflammatory pain relievers for my ribs — we entered into what we coined as “the 11th stage.” Including the double-stage days, we’d done ten stages in eight days (well, one fewer for me). Stage 11 was our chance to finally chill out, blow off some steam and experience the culture, history and people of Santo Domingo.
The Vuelta Independencia, as the name implies, coincides with the Dominican Republic’s holiday to celebrate its national independence. We took in some of the festivity’s sites and sounds, including an impressive fireworks display along the Malecon (sea wall) that was much closer-up than litigation in the States would ever allow, and an amazing, huge, impromptu street dance party outside of a local liquor store, with music provided by a souped-up car stereo system. My teammates and I were lucky enough to follow that up with a personalized, custom tour of Santo Domingo courtesy of Linda and Esmeralda Rodriguez, daughters of Juan Luis Rodriguez, Vice President of the Dominican Cycling Federation.
Linda lives in Spain but returned to the Dominican as the event’s primary newscaster and Esmeralda helps to run her family’s Aro y Pedal cycling stores, the most prominent shops in the Dominican. The Rodriguez sisters generously revealed Santo Domingo to us. For a day and a half, we were just vacationing tourists in the New World’s oldest city, walking in the footsteps of Columbus, drinking in a pirate’s tavern from 1500, and learning about the time spent here by Pizarro, Cortes, Ponce de Leon, Sir Francis Drake. And, of course, we made a point of seeking out the island’s best espresso offerings.
Dominican hospitality is legendary, and deservedly so. Show some interest, and they open up their world to you. This was true in our touristy wanderings, with staff guiding us to rooms in historic bars and restaurants around town to let us take a peek, but even more so during the event. There was a huge cast of staff and volunteers that went into making the Vuelta happen, and they worked countless hours to make our lives easier.
In spite of the craziness, difficulties and adversities we faced in the races, this was an experience we’ll be lucky to keep with us forever. And now that we have one round under our belts and better know both the lay of the land and what to expect, my team’s already talking about returning to next year’s Vuelta. The promoter has told us that he’s looking to continue to make improvements, and we hope that we can be an integral part of that process.
I’m now flying home on the last leg of my three-piece journey, from Chicago back to Portland, Oregon, sitting in the middle seat, of course. I stink, haven’t had a hot shower in over a week, am buzzed up on crappy, ubiquitous airport Starbuck’s coffee, likely have a cracked rib … and am perversely, profoundly happy.
¡Saludos de la avion, y gracias por leer!