In the midst of a large crowd that had gathred at the finish of the first stage of the Vuelta al Táchira, Orluis Aular had enough guts to hit out early and hold of Italian Matteo Busato. The win made it a great day for the local crowed who celebrated the fact that a lesser known rider managed to beat one of the professionals in the Venezuelan race.
Busato could not believe what happened and his coach even asked for a photo finish. However, it will be Aular whoo wear the leader's jersey on Saturday.
The race started with a 102km stage from San Cristobal toTáriba and was visited by lots of fans who created a festival atmosphere.
Yorman Fuentes and Fernando Briceño won the intermediate sprints and scored important bonus second. The pair made up the early break.
The foreign teams took control under the brual heat and all the excitement culminated in the finale. In the crucial kilometers at the end of the the sixth lap, all was set for a bunch sprint when Jose Garcia launched the decisive auction in the final corner. Busato joined him and seemed to be taking the win when Orluis Aular made the right timing to conquer the first stage of the Venezuelan race.
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