| Race details | |
|---|---|
| Date | December |
| Region | Costa Rica |
| English name | Tour of Costa Rica |
| Local name | Vuelta a Costa Rica |
| Nickname | Giro Tico |
| Discipline | Road race |
| Competition | UCI America Tour |
| Type | Stage race |
| Organiser | Federacion Costarricense de Ciclismo |
| History | |
| First edition | 1965 (1965) |
| Editions | 59 (as of 2025) |
| First winner |  José Luis Sánchez (CRC) |
| Most wins | Juan Carlos Rojas (CRC) (6 wins) |
| Most recent | Luis Daniel Oses (CRC) |
The Vuelta Ciclista a Costa Rica (English: Tour of Costa Rica) is a bicycle racing stage race held annually, since 1965, in Costa Rica.[1] The men's Vuelta carries a UCI rating of 2.2 and is part of the UCI America Tour, which is one of six UCI Continental Circuits sponsored by the Union Cycliste Internationale, the sport's international governing body. For the women's race see; Vuelta Internacional Femenina a Costa Rica.
Doping
On 31 January 2018 the UCI announced that they had suspended a number of riders who competed in the 2017 edition of the race, after they tested positive for the third generation blood booster – EPO-CERA. Overall winner Juan Carlos Rojas (Frijoles Los Tierniticos), third place César Rojas Villegas, Leandro Varela, Vladimir Fernandez who won stage 4 of the race, Jose Villalobos, Jason Huertas, Jose Irias, Gabriel Marin, Melvin Mora, Kevin Murillo Solano and Jordy Sandoval.[2]
Past winners
Trophy
In 2023, the Vuelta a Costa Rica introduced an official championship trophy for the first time in its history, after more than five decades of competition.[3]
The trophy was designed by Costa Rican designer Jorge Vargas, winner of a national competition organized by the Costa Rican Cycling Federation (FECOCI).[4] [5]
The design incorporates symbolic elements representing the nature of the race and national identity, including a wooden base, a mountain-shaped structure symbolizing climbing stages, and metallic elements in gold and silver representing victory, effort, and perseverance.[6]
References
- "Vuelta a Costa Rica". Cycling Archives. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - "Vuelta a Costa Rica winner among 12 riders to test positive in 2017 edition". 31 January 2018.
- "Este será el trofeo que gane el campeón de la Vuelta a Costa Rica". CRHoy. 7 December 2023.
- "¡Tenemos trofeo! Conozca el diseño ganador del trofeo para la VCR Telecable 2023". Federación Costarricense de Ciclismo. 21 July 2023.
- "Así es el diseño del título que se llevará el ganador de la Vuelta a Costa Rica". Everardo Herrera.
- "La Vuelta CR tendrá su propio trofeo por primera ocasión". GC Comunicaciones. 6 December 2023.