Kaden Hopkins had a remarkable performance during Stage Three of the National Independence Cyclistic Vuelta 2021.
A day after Hopkins was literally caught on the line, finishing third, he would not be denied on this day as he rode to victory covering the 161.6 KM distance in a time of 3:30.45.
Hopkins would finish 8 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Robert Sierra, with Julio Padilla Miranda finishing in third with a time of 3:30.53.
Hopkins the Under 23 Division Defending Champion, won the Under 23 Division Stage, remains in second place overall in the Division, he has closed the gap on the Division leader Manuel Steven Polanco Elena to 2 minutes and 5 seconds.
Hopkins remains in 8th place overall with a time of 11:06.42, Padilla Miranda is the overall leader with a time of 11:03.20.
Hopkins is now the overall leader in Points with 48, Padilla Miranda is in second with 45 points, and Sierra is third with 40 points.
Hopkins and his Bermuda-Puerto Rico teammates remain in 7th place overall as a team with an overall time of 33:23.47.
Following the race, Hopkins said, “7 km into the stage a break of 2 riders went up the road, when the race sat up for a second I was able to open a gap quickly and bridge across. Once across, I drove the break as hard as I could, distancing one of the other riders after 75km, after 80km at the top of the day's climb the other rider dropped off and I was left alone for the last 80km.
I just thought of it as a Time Trial and sat at what I knew I could do for the next hour and 40 minutes and was able to keep the gap at a point where I knew I would not be caught.
I have made up half the time I needed to in the Grand Championship competition and am hoping to try and chip away at it more over the next few stages if possible.”
