Rob Britton second overall at Vuelta Independencia Nacional

Canada’s Rob Britton (Team SmartStop) secured second place in the overall classification at the Vuelta Independencia Nacional held in the Dominican Republic.

“The team rode amazing all week and I think that’s obvious with the results we had. Three stage wins and half a dozen podiums. The guys came here ready to race and show from day one we deserve to race with the best,” said Britton.

Race organizers were forced to cancel Stage 4 and Stage 8 because of unsafe course conditions.

The eighth stage was a circuit race held in downtown Quinto Centenario. The race was stopped after three laps and officials deemed it unsafe to continue.

The final classification was taken after the results from the seventh stage. Colombia’s Edwin Sanchez won the overall title by nearly two minutes ahead of Britton and Nelson Pedro Torres Quiroga, also from Colombia.

Britton placed third in the opening stage and moved into second place overall during the second stage. His teammate Eric Marcotte won the opening stage and led the overall race for the first three stages.

Britton’s teammates Jure Kocjan won Stage 3 and Stage 6A and Zach Bell, who is the national road champion, placed second in a sprint finish on the seventh stage.

Team SmartStop sent a team of five riders that also included Travis McCabe and Flavio de Luna.