Cuban cyclist Dominguez dominated fifth stage of the Vuelta a Venezuela

HAVANA, Cuba, Sep 12 (ACN) Cyclist Jose Dominguez gave Cuba its first victory at the 62nd edition of the 2025 Vuelta a Venezuela by winning the fifth stage, run over a distance of 197.9 kilometers in 5:07.43 hours.

Before Thursday's event, Dominguez had achieved the two best performances of the Cuban team, placing seventh in the opening stage and third in leg three.

He is ranked 29th in the individual overall standings among the 84 remaining in the competition; fourth in the points standings; tenth in the U23 category, which includes 37 riders; and the thirteenth-highest-placed foreigner.

Ricardo Delgado, for his part, managed to reach the finish line in the main pack, avoiding any time in the individual standings, and appears in the top 20.

Delgado is eighth among the 27 foreign riders, mostly Colombian, although Portuguese and Spanish competitors also participate.

Another U23 Cuban rider, Randol Izquierdo, also performed well, finishing ninth in the third stage and fourteenth today to place 31st overall; twelfth in his age category and eleventh among those who climbed ahead in the mountain prizes.

The rest of the six-man group appear in the general classification: Amed Marcos (21st in the U23 category) in 50th; Yariel de Leon in 58th; and his fellow countryman Joselin Piedra in 71st.

Friday, the sixth stage will be run in a double session: an 8.5-kilometer individual time trial in the morning, and a 148.5-kilometer road race in the afternoon, with no significant climbs and four intermediate sprints, which will see the multi-colored peloton compete for points.