HAVANA.- (ACN) Cuban women Arlenis Sierra and Iraida Garcia will attend, from next June 30th, the Giro d'Italia, one of the most important cycling competitions worldwide.

This will be the first time in history there will be Cuban presence in this contest, one of the three UCI major tours.

Sierra and Garcia were hired early this year by the Astana Women´s Team and the SC Michela Fanini Rox, professional clubs from Kazakhstan and Italy, respectively.

The first of them has had an amazing performance so far, as she ranked second in the General classification in the Setmana Ciclista Valenciana, in Spain last March; and also finished 3rd in the Tour of California, in USA this same month, where she won in addition the events of Youth and Points classification.

Meanwhile, Garcia, 2016 Pan American champion in the women´s road event, has had a more discrete performance as she runs for a not-a-strong team though, as Sierra, she is the squad leader.

Cuba also counts with a third woman, Marlies Mejias, running for a professional cycling club, Argentina´s Weber Shimano Ladies Power.

Mejias has also had an amazing performance this season as she won the Tours of Uruguay and San Juan (Argentina), and is also the leader of her squad, which unfortunately won´t participate in the Giro de Italia.