Among the 1,000 participants in the cycling event was the bank’s ambassador, Amanda Dudamel, who stated that one of the lessons learned from this challenge was the ability to get up and overcome obstacles.
In an effort to accentuate its presence in the west of the country, bank more Venezuelans, position its brand and promote sport for its intimate relationship with well-being and quality of life, Bancamiga participated in the fourth edition of the Gran Fondo Collado del Cóndor , in the state of Mérida, an event that brought together more than 1,000 cyclists from all over Venezuela.
The presence of Bancamiga touched several lines of action that included sponsorship, carrying out an account opening operation and delivery of the Debit Card, a hydration and support point five kilometers from the finish line, and the participation of a team of collaborators, accompanied by ambassador Amanda Dudamel, who traveled 42 kilometers starting at 2,206 meters above sea level. A few days before, Dudamel accompanied the Executive President Ariel Martínez and the director Alberto Camardiel, in the Conecta2 program, which from Mérida also made reference to the cycling event.
This Saturday, the competitors in the four distances that were in dispute faced a demanding route, in a paradisiacal environment that changed according to the altitude. The 125 kilometers started from Estanques at 456 meters above sea level; 80 km from Mérida at 1,630 meters above sea level; 42 km from Escagüey at 2,206 meters above sea level and 26 km from Mucuchíes at 2,983 meters above sea level.
The President of the Board of Directors of Bancamiga, Carmelo De Grazia, stated that the institution is committed to promoting sports in the country, especially when it benefits communities that promote the economic and tourism development of the country such as those in the state of Mérida.
“The Gran Fondo Collado del Cóndor has been a great opportunity to position the brand and bring Venezuelans closer to our innovative products and services. During Thursday and Friday we carried out an operation at the Belensate hotel, which allowed residents of Mérida and competitors and family members to open their accounts with us, and learn about our financial facilities,” he said.
Triumphs with records
From the Bancamiga support point, five kilometers from the finish line, you could see each of the cyclists on their way to the finish line at almost 4,200 meters above sea level, one of the most emblematic places in the Venezuelan Andes. They passed exhausted, almost unable to speak but all with the sole desire to reach the top.
And the first to do it in the longest and most demanding test of this fourth edition, the 125 kilometers, was Alfonso Márquez, who had just won in 2023 with 6 hours 17 minutes. This year he did it with record time, going under 6 hours.
“I end with emotions on the surface. If you catch me coming, you’d get me crying. This is an event that makes me very nostalgic and is by far the best in the country. I’m just waiting for next year’s. I thank Bancamiga for helping to make it a reality.”
He expressed that during the long journey from Estanques he thought a lot about a phrase from his brother: “Happiness is a way of traveling towards a destination. That’s why I’m always happy.”
Marlene Goncalves also repeated in women. She said she felt “super good” and that the hardest part of the competition was the lack of oxygen after passing 2,500 meters, which undoubtedly affects your performance. “The height makes this very difficult,” she added.
The young cyclist invited other women to try it and start with small distances. “The challenge is to overcome oneself. My goal was to improve my time and I managed to finish in 6h22 minutes (6h58m in 2023). This is a competition against oneself. And thanks to Bancamiga for its support.”
A unique experience
Among the 1,000 participants was a team from Bancamiga and allied companies made up of Alberto Camardiel, Jonel Reyes, Ángel García, Rodolfo Aponte, Carlos Rosales, Gustavo Gómez, Daniel Torres, Jhonny Frías, Francisco Vásquez and Thomas Silveira.
Ángel García, director of Planning and Budget, did it for the first time. He expressed that “more than competing, it was a personal challenge. Being the largest bicycle climb in the world, reaching Collado del Cóndor is an unforgettable experience.”
“Last year I wanted to come but I was not prepared, so from March 2023 I started filming and from August on a more constant basis. We did it on weekends and sometimes during the week too.”
He stated that he loved cycling, because it is a discipline that is synonymous with health, because it strengthens the cardiovascular and muscular systems, allows you to see spectacular landscapes and provides the opportunity to share and forge new groups of friends.
Another member was Rodolfo Aponte, manager of Financial Operations and with nine years in cycling. He indicated that he came again to do the 125 kilometers, after the hard experience last year.
“Arriving at the Cóndor is unforgettable. This year I felt better and that was because I had more experience, I knew the route better and I had better training.”
One who made his debut was Daniel Torres, coordinator of Compensation and Benefits of Human Management. He was drawn to participate for several reasons, including his “beautiful landscapes.”
“My family is from Boconó, Trujillo state, which, like Mérida, has spectacular places. I always wanted to ride a bicycle through the Andean moors. I couldn’t do it in 2023 and my sports planning included 80 km.”
On this occasion, the Bancamiga team was accompanied by the institution’s ambassador Amanda Dudamel. With her medal in hand, she maintained that “this is a triumph for the Bancamiga team and for all of Venezuela. “Today we showed that together we are a team.”
While thanking her partner (Daniel), who also did the 42 kilometers and had to face some setbacks, the former universal viceroy of beauty and entrepreneur stated that “one of the lessons that this challenge leaves us is the ability to fall, get up and Overcome obstacles”.
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