Wanganui professional cyclist Hayley Giddens signed off on her seven-month Central and South American sojourn with a second victory in the Grand Prix Carreras Ciclistas in the Mexican resort town of Playa del Carmen.
The 24-year-old also won the women's race of the Carreras Ciclistas series in January, the eventbeing near her training ground on Cozumel Island in the Caribbean Sea, which has an ironman bike course.
Giddens rode solo again in the 40km circuit race, attacking after 10km and maintaining her lead for the duration.
"It's always great to win and validate your training," she said.
Having toured Colombia, Costa Rica and Guatemala since October, Giddens spent the past three months training on the Caribbean coast in eastern Mexico and admitted it had been a difficult experience at times.
