For the second year in a row, Costa Rican cyclist Andrey Amador came in the top 10 of one of international cycling’s biggest races. Amador finished in eighth place in the Giro d’Italia Sunday, concluding the 21-stage event that makes up one part of cycling’s Grand Tour.
The Tico finished with an official race time of 82 hours 57 minutes and 52 seconds, which registered 13 minutes behind race winner Vincenzo Nibali of Italy. Amador’s Movistar teammate Alejandro Valverde of Spain made it onto the podium by finishing in third place.
One year ago, Amador finished in fourth place overall.
After Stage 13, Amador made history by leading the general classification and wearing the pink jersey, becoming the first Costa Rican to ever lead during a Grand Tour. In the following stage, Amador dipped down to fifth place after a tough day in a 210-kilometer stretch of mountain.
Sunday’s final stage was marred by rain and wet track as riders went from Cuneo to Torino on a 163-kilometer flat stage.
Though Amador became the first Costa Rican to ever ride in the Tour de France in 2011, he is set to skip this year’s race that begins July 1. He will next race in the Tour of Poland, where he finished sixth overall in 2014. After the week-long race that begins July 12, Amador will then set his sights on the 2016 Olympic Games in Río where he will compete for Costa Rica.
