Originally published on WeLoveCycling

While things are pretty hot in Vuelta – with some weird happenings going on – Tour of Rio – the most important road bike competition in Latin America – seemed an easy race for Spanish sprinter Gustavo Veloso.

It doesn’t mean it wasn’t hard. But a quite disturbing fall after crashing into another competitor just 300 meters from the finish line made things a little more interesting.

Veloso had a big advantage over his opponents thanks to his performance during the five days of competition on Brazilian soil. But could he bear the pain to stand up again, having injured the left side of his bod? The answer was a big yes!

Veloso overcame his injuries, carried the bicycle over his right shoulder and finished the fifth and last stage of Tour of Rio, in first place. His final time was 18h 41m 45s after pedalling 797 kilometres.

“For sure I would be happier if I hadn’t fallen and hurt myself. But it’s wonderful to win the Tour of Rio”, concluded the champion.