UPDATE: La Cima del Águila organisers said in a press release that the driver was not part of the organising team or event staff.
A competitor lost his life on Sunday 28 June 2026 after being struck by a vehicle during the seventh edition of La Cima del Águila, the most prominent amateur MTB race in the state of Veracruz, Mexico.
The victim has been identified as Rigoberto del Angel Rodriguez, aged approximately 40 to 50, from the municipality of Pánuco in northern Veracruz. He had travelled south specifically to compete.
The incident occurred within minutes of the race start at the junction leading to the Nanciyaga Ecological Reserve, as the field advanced along the state road toward Coyame. A white Jeep pickup truck struck del Angel Rodriguez with fatal force. He died at the scene before emergency services could arrive.
The presumed responsible driver, identified by authorities only as José Enrique “N” under Mexican legal convention, was detained at the scene and placed at the disposal of the Fiscalía General del Estado de Veracruz. Local police, agents from the Directorate of Intelligence Services, and ministerial personnel carried out the required on-scene forensic investigation.
A key factual dispute remains unresolved. Imagen de Veracruz and Veracruz Informa, two established regional news outlets, reported that the vehicle formed part of the event’s security and logistics convoy—an escort truck allegedly accompanying the riders. Other sources, however, described it as a private vehicle.
The race continued, with organisers issuing a brief statement on their official Facebook page after the awards ceremony. They asked the public to disregard what they described as inaccurate media reporting and promised a full account on Monday 29 June. No such statement had been issued at the time of publication. The Fiscalía investigation will ultimately determine the vehicle’s status and establish the chain of events.
La Cima del Águila—The Eagle’s Summit—is no minor local affair. With more than 400 competitors this year, over 8,000 followers on its official Facebook page, and a consistent place on the calendar on the last Sunday of June, it has become a fixture of the regional cycling scene. The 56 to 66-kilometre course is described as a demanding and highly technical route through dramatic volcanic landscapes, cloud forest, and jungle in southern Veracruz—one that riders travel from across the state to experience. Rigoberto del Angel Rodriguez was one of them.
Reaction across the Veracruz cycling community was immediate, with participants and spectators demanding full accountability and a mandatory review of safety protocols. The central question—whether a road carrying vehicles, whether private or operational, should have been fully closed for the duration of the race—will fall to the Fiscalía to answer. That a man died within minutes of the start on a section of road that should have been under maximum control makes that question impossible to ignore.
Gran Fondo Daily News extends its sincere condolences to the family, friends, and teammates of Rigoberto del Angel Rodriguez.
This article will be updated when the Fiscalía General del Estado de Veracruz and the race organisers issue formal statements.
Photo Credit: Facebook/La Cima del Águila
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