Tomorrow, I'll be flying to Italy in order to join the Giro, not as a competitor mind you—though I was asked several times by different teams, believe me. No, I'll be joining it in my usual capacity: hopping fences and trying not to get caught by organizers when I try to stand and hang around where I shouldn't. After the Giro, I'll be away for another week. This means that I won't be back to my blogging duties until the first week of June sometime. This pains me to no end, in part because I love all three of the blog's readers, but also because I anticipate that much will be happening in the race and the sport in general during that time. At least Fabio Parra hopes so!
A call to arms
Parra, one of the original escarabajos has asked for a Colombian alliance at the Giro through Twitter, asking all Colombian riders to work together and "seize the mountain!", saying that "a partial victory, the general, or a competition [like the KOM] will require an alliance between all Colombians". You can read a translated article about his tweets here (link via Gage & DeSoto).
While I'm away
During my absence, all orders for socks or prints will be put on hold until I'm back. Until then, feel free to read through the blog's archives. Even if you're an avid reader, you've probably missed posts here and there. You can also go check out Manual For Speed's coverage of the Giro, listen to my brother's podcast, read All Hail The Black Market, see what Joe Lindsey has to say, or visit Mr Bike Snob. If you're wondering about a specific Colombian rider at the Giro, feel free to look at my guide, which includes all of them here.
If you're wondering about Colombia's future in cycling, look no further than team 4-72, and remember the names of those riders. Juan Chamorro took the overall at the Ronde de L'Isard, Heiner Parra took the KOM, and the team won the team classification. Big things in the future for these riders and this team.
2.
One of cycling's age-old questions is one you've surely asked yourself: What do Colombian cyclists eat during the third week of a grand tour, and how do they get said food? The answer is easy. A Colombian guy (who for some reason is named Klaus out of all things), flies in and gives them the necessary nutrition to get through the last week.
It's been an incredible few days for Colombian cycling. Janier Acevedo's victory at the Tour of California was impressive to watch for many reasons, not the least of which was the insane conditions in which it took place. Similarly, Rigoberto Uran and Carlos Betancur's 1-2 at the Giro on Tuesday had many in Colombia conjuring up images of Fabio Parra and Lucho Herrera at Morzine in 1985. As you can imagine, it's been an exciting few days here at Cycling Inquisition headquarters, further exacerbated by the fact that I'll be going to the Giro next week. But more on that later. For now, allow me to share a few rather random thoughts with you which range in both importance and scale.
Rigoberto and Sergio talk about racing and not training together
Beware of those who suddenly take credit
As young and young-ish riders like Acevedo, Uran and Betancur claim victories and put on impressive performances, I'm always weary of those who suddenly take credit for these riders, and their abilities. You'll notice that the people who I mentioned in an earlier post regarding how this current crop of riders came to be, have been quiet through all this, knowing that their work was not merely done in order to draw attention to themselves later on. Their silent enjoyment stands in sharp contrast to that of men like Vicente Belda, fresh from his Puerto trial, who has been telling anyone who will listen that he supposedly not only found Nairo Quintana, but also walked him through the process of signing with Movistar, including telling him what team to go with (this is not true, as I've actually contacted the people involved in Nairo's signing and Belda, thank god, had nothing to do with it. He did, sadly, have a role in Boyaca Es Para Vivirla, an early team for which Quintana raced). Others are now speaking up as well, claiming to have had incredible amounts of influence over these riders.
Even from afar, this whole thing makes me feel a bit uneasy. You can't help but get negative feelings about the formative process that riders go through during their young age, and reminds me of a particular quote from the movie Hoop Dreams, which I've mentioned on the blog before. But this also helps me understand why some riders are so reserved. It might not always be their personalities, but rather their reflexes kicking in, knowing that many want something from them, and just as many want to take credit for what they've done. They wear logos all over themselves after all, and they know that many see them as little more than greyhounds in a race. Favors are done, and help is given to them, but there's usually some strings attached, particularly for those who come from meager means. As far back as 1984—Martin Ramirez told me—winning a major race would bring a long string of people wanting to cash in on earlier favors. Like the list of people who claimed to be "the fifth Beatle", the number of individuals who line up for such honors seems more sad than humorous.
That so few want to help without the need for future kickbacks or glory is interesting, and has left me wanting to know more about them, and how cycling development (particularly in Colombia) operates. It's made me want to put aside those who claim to be behind the success of others, and look more closely at those who continue to develop and help riders in relative silence.
Which brings me to my next point.
Photo: Manual For Speed
Photo: Manual For Speed
Photo: Manual For Speed
The beauty and complexity of Colombian development
In my post last week, I mentioned in passing that I'll be working with Manual For Speed on a new project for much of this year. In short, we'll be looking at the complex mechanism that is development cycling in Colombia. From cities, to rural towns, from clubs and academies, to development teams, and the pro ranks. We will look at the people, coaches, companies, riders, families and patrons of the sport who are the engine behind Colombia's ongoing ability to produce top-level talent. The story of Colombian cycling is bigger than riders at the Giro, or those who dream of getting there. I would argue that the human network that makes up cycling development in Colombia is as complex and beautiful as the country itself. Furthermore, looking closely at it shows that Colombian riders excel in great part because of this Colombian construct. Meaning that their success comes about because of where they were born and raised, not in spite of it.
I'll keep you posted as this project is officially launched. In the meantime, you can see a very, very small teaser here.
The Cycling Anthology, Volume Two
If you're anything like me, you're probably good looking, and posses a certain boyish charm about you. That aside, you probably also like reading about cycling. If that's the case, I'd like to call your attention to the second edition of the Cycling Anhtology series. Not only because this second volume is entirely focused on the Tour de France and contains writing by an impressive list of contributors (among them: Ned Boulting, William Fotheringham, Ellis Bacon, Edward Pickering, James Stratt, and Daniel Lloyd)...but because somehow the editors decided to include a chapter in the book by yours truly.
Though some will no doubt insist that having a chapter by me in the book must either be a printing error, or a lapse in judgement, I assure you that I took the task at hand seriously. For it, I interviewed riders and other figures in Colombian cycling, in order to detail how the first all-Colombian team came to compete at the Tour de France, and how Colombia's original golden era in the sport came to a close in the early 90s. Through these interviews, I came upon great stories and insights (as well as some rather humorous stories that include everything from lying to priests to getting fined for peeing) that I had never heard of before, including some from riders who were there in that first Tour.
If you are interested in buying the book, you can pre-order here. Pre-orders will be shipping as early as this following week, the moment copies are in from the printer. The book is $12 in the US, and £7.99 in the UK.
You'll always be my baby
I've mentioned before just how unusual the music selection at major races in Europe is. At the Paris-Roubaix sign in one year, I heard the following playlist:
In true Italian fashion, the Giro d'Italia has taken this concept one step further, playing the Kiss disco anthem I Was Made For Lovin' You during the podium ceremony for stage winners...Rigoberto Uran included. This borders on performance art, and creates a sub-cultural mélange that would have blown my mind when I was five years old (a time when I treasured both Kiss and professional cycling). Come to think of it, it still blows my mind today. And thank god for that. It's the little things I suppose.
Laurent Fignon (notice his brakes), with Delgado behind him (Photo: Rod MacFadyen)
"Check out the picture of Herrera. And Fignon with cantilevers!", read the email from a reader of the blog, C. Marshall. I followed the link he sent me, and I was pleasantly surprised but what I found. A great set of images that I had never seen before from the 1991 Tour de France. The moment I saw them, I wanted to know more. Who had taken these pictures and under what circumstances? With Mr Marshall's help, I was able to track down the photographer: Rod MacFadyen.
Rod starting shooting at age 10, when his aunt gave him a Voigtlander Vito C. He later upgraded to a Praktica LTL3. By the end of the 1980s, he became more interested in cycling, and by 1990 he was able to move to France for work. What follows is a short interview with Rod about these great images, as well as that day at Alpe d'huez.
The post is followed by a couple of notes about the Giro.
Thanks to both Rod and C. Marshall for their time and help.
Lucho Herrera, racing for Postobon (Photo: Rod MacFadyen)
Rolf Golz (Photo: Rod MacFadyen)
How did you end up at the Tour, and at Alpe d'Huez on that day in 1991?
At that time I worked for DEC, Digital Equipment Corporation, at their site
in Ferney-Voltaire. Ferney-Voltaire is a French town on the other side of Geneva
airport, it’s right on the border with Switzerland.
In my first year in France I was
mad keen to see the Tour so when some people at work discussed driving down to Bourg
d’Oisans to see the Tour on the Alpe, I was in. It was only about a 2-hour drive
and when we’d parked we walked up the Alpe as far as we could be bothered with,
not that far up, it’s steep. It was a hot day and we were carrying food and
drink for several hours.
Pascal Richard (Photo: Rod MacFadyen)
Remnants of the peloton (Photo: Rod MacFadyen)
What equipment did you use to shoot these images?
For 35mm I had acquired a Leica R4
(I won it!). I had always admired Leica rangefinders but no way could I afford
them. I was also getting into medium format, being as my time was my own, not
being married or with children and God knows you need long uninterrupted periods
of time for developing and printing film photographs. I was smitten with desire
when the Mamiya 6 came out. It was a medium format collapsible ‘travel camera’
with rangefinder focussing and three interchangeable lenses. I bought one with
the standard 75mm F3.5 lens. It was a wonderful camera, relatively compact and
light and with 35mm-style ease of handling.
I was cycling a lot by that time and
the Mamiya was easy to put in a bag so I could use it if I was out and about
on my bike. The Mamiya
lenses had leaf shutters which meant they could synchronise with electronic
flash at any shutter speed. This was important because when using fill-in flash
outside, ambient light can overwhelm the flash. To overcome this you need a
large aperture to get flash range but then you need a high shutter speed to
expose correctly for ambient. The Mamiya could achieve this and with its easy
handling, fast film wind, and near-instant shutter release, it was an excellent
camera for close-in photography of moving subjects.
The weather that day was
overcast and not sunny and that helped. Mixing flash and ambient is an
interesting technique because the flash lights the shadows and freezes the
action while the ambient light provides the context. Ideally you get some motion
blur from the the ambient light image and sharp detail from the flash image. By
the way I can’t particularly remember why I used black and white film, I mostly
shot colour. I must have thought that monochrome would be more timeless. I
guess.
Michel Vermote (Photo: Rod MacFadyen)
Bugno, Indurain and Luc Leblanc (Photo: Rod MacFadyen)
Steven Rooks (Photo: Rod MacFadyen)
Anything particularly memorable about this day, or any rider in
particular you were hoping to shoot during their ascent?
The crowds on the Alpe are always amazing. You get to know them too because
you’re there a long time waiting for the race. The Caravan Publicitaire lifts
the spirits then there’s another long pause waiting for the race. Eventually you
spot the TV helicopters in the valley below, excitement builds, people begin to
press in to the road. You know it’s going to be madness when the riders come
through.
As a photographer you’re very concerned about your vantage point and
that you’ve set exposure and focus correctly. You have to trust yourself that
you’ll get the shots when the riders appear. When they did, I was one of those
people who step into the road slightly – not as crazy as that kid who knocked
off Guerini in 1999 though—to get my shot and step back quickly.
The first few
riders came up singly or in small groups and that allowed me to get almost all
of the stage top 10. I missed Greg Lemond sadly. I wasn’t intent on capturing
any particular rider, they were all heroes, and with the speed of the riders you
have time to react but not much time to think. With only 12 shots per roll of
120 film I only had 12 pictures I could take anyway. Changing a 120 roll film
takes a minute or two and by then all you’ve got is team cars roaring through.
Thierry Claveyrolat (Photo: Rod MacFadyen)
(Photo: Rod MacFadyen)
What do you make the images from that day now?
Looking at those photographs now, firstly I’m impressed that they’re all
competently framed, focused and exposed. That Mamiya really was a good camera.
Secondly the photos which at the time were just nice pictures of cycle racers we
were all familiar with, now are redolent of a period of pro racing that is both
significant and completely gone.
Tim Berners-Lee may have been inventing the
internet just down the road from where I was living, but this was a pre-internet
age and as such lost in the mists of time for the modern-day person. These
photographs are precious now. ■
You can see others shots by Rod, including some from the 1992 Tour in his flickr page, here.
Video of the stage. I'm almost certain that Rod took the pictures in the turn that is first visible at 24:57. Claveyrolat goes by that spot at 25:31, where Rod is visible on the side of the road as a mere blur.
Results after stage 17 (from Bikeraceinfo) Tuesday, July 23, Gap - L'Alpe d'Huez, 125 km Major Ascents: Bayard, Ornon, L'Alpe d'Huez
If you were watching the Giro yesterday, you probably saw Carlos Betancur celebrating Pippo-style, though he was actually second on the stage. Fellow Colombian Jarlinson Pantano most certainly saw this, andenjoyed it (see image above), later tweeting "hahaha. it's not that i started laughing, I just said tomyself, what are you doing? hahaha".
Betancur's team explained that his earpiece wasn't working. At any rate, Mike Spriggs of Gage & DeSoto described the celebration as "an elaborate, jazzercise victory salute", and I agree. There was a little dance of sorts, followed by two signs of the cross. This, I must say, reminded me of how every kid in Colombia celebrates scoring a goal during a soccer/football match, even if its during recess. You do the sign of the cross twice, and then usually kiss your hand afterward. Because your hand becomes holy after the doing the sign of the cross twice I guess. I don't know.
2.
Betancur included, yesterday was a strong showing for several Colombian riders like Pantano and Chalapud. It should be noted that Team Colombia's Atapuma and Duarte have been taking it easy, stating plainly that they are saving themselves as much as possible for climbing stages during weeks two and three. This has allowed riders like Chalapud and Pantano to try their hand at going on breaks.
3.
Perhaps you've noticed the very bright hi-viz colors on Team Colombia's Willier Zero 7 bikes. In case you were wondering, the colors are not random, and riders were not given the choice to pick their favorite. The colors actually correspond to sizes:
XS : Red
S: Orange
M: Yellow (a majority of the team's riders use this size, which has a 50.5 seat tube)
L: White with red accents
XL: Green (I believe Wilson Marentes is the only team rider on an XL frame)
Juan Chamorro, 4-72
4.
This year's Giro represents Colombia's cycling present, even though many of the riders there are still up and coming. But what about the future? This weekend, the Vuelta a Asturias showed that things are looking good for Colombia in years to come. With only a U23 squad, team 4-72 managed to place Ever Rivera eight overall, and Juan Chamorro was 15th. On the first day, Rivera had been fourth, up against impressive pro-tour competitors. This is particularly good news for the team, who now has two strong options for the Tour de l'Avenir. Keep an eye on those two. Rumor has it that you may be seeing Chamorro a good bit more in Europe very soon.
With the Giro in full swing, and with fifteen Colombian riders competing in the race, there's been a fair amount of talk about Colombia's present and past in the sport (admittedly, some of this talk was my own, just look at my last post.) As I've written in the past, I grew up watching these teams, and couldn't help but cheer them on from my family's home in Bogota all those years ago. Today, one of the aspects that keeps me coming back to those teams, and the riders that made them up, are the varied personalities and life experiences they represent. Even their takes on the time they spent racing in Europe and among Europeans are varied, and far from homogeneous.
This prompted me to ask myself, what if the shoe was on the other foot? In other words, how would Europeans feel racing in Colombia, and perhaps being the odd man out, among an all-Colombian team? Well, as it turns out, that question is not merely a rhetorical one. Jørgen Pedersen, the Danish rider who was part of the Cafe De Colombia squad (one of two Danes in the team), experienced this exact thing. He raced and trained in Colombia, all while being surrounded by a team almost entirely made up of Colombians, which itself was the centerpiece of a nation's maniacal love for the sport. I decided to speak with Jørgen, to find out about his experience within Cafe De Colombia, but also about his experiences within the peloton during his time as a professional.
Thanks Jørgen for his time, and to Adam Hansen from feltet.dk for helping make this interview possible.
(Photo: Jørgen Pedersen)
How did you first become involved in cycling, and how did your first pro contract with Carrera come about?
My father was as young amateur bike rider, I got the interest from him. I went to Italy with the Danish Bike Federation in the beginning of the 80es and got some good results, which created interest from an amateur team, Fiat Agri. After the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 1984, I was contacted by Davide Boifava from team Carrera, where I signed my first pro contract.
In your first full year as a professional, you won a stage at the Tour de France, an impressive accomplishment by any measure. What are your memories of that day, and what was your strategy going into the final sprint?
Close to the finish line, I realized that there were only three of us for the sprint. I then saw the two other riders talk among themselves. Then, one did the sprint for the other, but I was in his wheel and just gave it 100%. When we passed the finish line, we were so close that I did not know at once if I had won. Winning a stage in my first Tour de France, as a neo pro was a big result, and my first thought after was that after stage win I had to finish the race, and arrive to Paris.
Stage 10, 1985 Tour de France
In 1986, you held the yellow jersey for five days at the Tour. Did you have any idea when you were in the break, that this could happen?
With today's technology and radios, it would have been obvious, but things were different in 1986. No, I had no idea, I remember a Danish journalist coming up to me, and he had made some calculations and explained that according to him I had the yellow jersey. A fantastic day.
(Photo: cyclingart.blogspot.com)
After getting the yellow jersey on the podium ceremony, you were left without anyone from the team to guide you to a team car, or hotel. You were lost, and wearing the yellow jersey. How on earth did that happen, and what did it feel like?
That’s right, I have never had an explanation from Davide Boifava [from Carrera], but I assume that he never imagined that this could happen.
I remember having a little piece of paper with the name of the town and hotel in my pocket, just in case, this happened. When I came to the hotel on my bike, I remember my masseur coming towards me and starting crying, very emotional.
(Photo: Cycling Archives)
What was the greatest benefit of having the yellow jersey?
First of all, respect in the peloton and amongst my team mates.
In 1989, you signed with Cafe De Colombia. How did that come about?
In 1988 I was riding in Spain at Team BH and during TdF that year I had several offers from different teams. Rafael Antonio Niño came with an offer that I could not refuse. Cafe de Colombia was in need of big and strong riders to help mainly Herrera against the wind on the flat stages
Before your contract with the team, had you had any interaction with Colombian riders or the team, beyond simply riding alongside them?
No
Was anything different in Cafe De Colombia from other non-Colombian teams like Carrera and BH? How were you treated as a Dane by Colombians?
The team was different, but on the good way. I remember all my teammates in the Team Café de Colombia as extremely nice and happy people. Maybe because they already knew what it was like to feel like a stranger in the peloton?
1989 (Photo: M. Ashton)
Since you were hired to part to protect riders like Herrera in the flats, was that a job you enjoyed? Did you develop a relationship with Herrera? He's notoriously quiet.
Yes, we would mainly protect Herrera and I loved my time with the team. Probably because of language problems my relationship with Herrera did not develop much, but I remember that the four riders in the team who were from Europe were invited to visit him at his home in Fusagasugá.
One of those riders was Jesper Worre, a fellow Dane. Was it helpful for you to have a countryman there with you? Worre aside, how did you communicate with your teammates? Had you learned some Spanish during your time with BH?
Off course it was a big help having Worre on the team, actually I was the one who suggested Worre to Niño for the team. Worre and I had been friends for many years and lived next door to each other in Italy. Living in Italy gave me the opportunity to learn Italian and during my year on BH I learned a little Spanish, so a mix made me able to understand and have a simple conversation.
Jørgen in Fusagasuga, with the bull that Lucho Herrera
won at the 1985 Tour de France. The bull, named Buquest, took two years
to make it into Colombia, and was quarantined for two months at Bogota's
El Dorado airport upon his arrival. He became Herrera's beloved pet, and lived until 1993.(Photo: Jørgen Pedersen)
What are your fondest memories of your time with Cafe De Colombia?
I remember my time on the team as being some of the best years as professional, everyone was nice and very helpful to us. A funny thing that I remember was my first visit to Colombia. We were picked up in the airport of Bogota and some people from the team brought us to a special exit that meant that we jumped the passport control, I remember this as a very funny thing.
Did you ever visit Colombia for team camps, or races? If so, what did you think of it?
Yes, the first year started with a team camp and team presentation at the head office of Café de Colombia, followed by some races. I remember all the riders going 100% from first second of the race, and Worre and I were lost in the back end of the peloton having problems following the high speed. The altitude and lack of red blood cells in our blood made it very hard. Actually we did several races in Colombia, among others the Clasico RCN .
Under his city of birth, and birth date, the caption reads, "30 years old, married, one son" (Photo: Jørgen Pedersen)
How were you treated by Colombian fans?Having a Dane in a Colombian team was certainly unusual at the time.
They understood that we were on the team to help Herrera, so I was treated very well.
What do you miss most about being a professional cyclist, and what do you miss the least?
The feeling of success and recognition when you have a good race and all my good teammates, and the exciting life of a professional. What I miss the least is all the time away from your family.
After your retirement, you were a director at CSC. Did you enjoy working as a director during those years, particularly having your cousin Jakob Pill in the team?
Yes, Bjarne Riss called me and offered me a job. I was a key account manager, and part time sports director. It was a fantastic opportunity to come back to the world that I had been a part of years earlier. I could see the chance that had happened for good and bad.
Cycling has always evolved, both in technology, how races unfold, and team tactics. Do you prefer the way things were during your time as a professional, or do you see validity in how things have changed in the sport?
I don’t like the radio communication, from my point of view it takes the spontaneity and fast decisions from the riders. They don’t have to think anymore, they wait for instructions from the director, and this spoils the race. A part from that we still see fantastic races and dramas in the big hills and time trails.
Grand tours generate a great deal of content in the form of video, text and photography. Thus far in the Giro, the photo below is my absolute favorite, courtesy of Manual For Speed.
I bring up Manual For Speed in order to show you the photo above, but also because I'd like to tell you that during this season, I'll be contributing content to their site as well. You can get a tiny taste of what's to come here. It will be very good stuff. Stay tuned.
Beginnings
Tomorrow, fifteen Colombian riders will be at the Giro d'Italia's start line in Naples. They will be accompanied by the Colombian ambassador to Italy, which only underscores the significance of the event for all Colombians. As Darwin Atapuma of Team Colombia put it in a pre-race conference, "every pedal stroke will be in the name of an entire nation." It was, after all, 21 years ago that the last all-Colombian team (Postobon) competed in Italy's grand tour.
But Colombia's love for the Giro began long ago, even before the days of teams like Cafe De Colombia and Postobon. This is because the first Colombian to ever compete in the race was Cochise Rodriguez in 1973. The native of Medellin, Antioquia, raced for the Bianchi team, alongside Felice Gimondi, and he was quick to leave his mark, taking a stage win in his first ever grand tour, and one of his first races as a professional. He would later win another stage at the Giro in 1975.
In 1974, aided by Cochise's success, Rafael Antonio Niño (who would eventually become Cafe De Colombia's DS) made it to Italy as a professional too, as an all-Colombian amateur squad lined up at the amateur version of the Giro, the Piccolo Giro. The team performed amazingly well, finishing second, third and fourth in the overall, while taking several stages. I spoke to Alvaro Pachón, who was part of the that team about this race not long ago. The one thing he remembered most about his time in Italy was just how incompatible his team's racing and climbing styles were to that of Europeans in the mid 70s.
“They
didn’t know who we were, and were angered by our early attacks on
climbs. The riders and the directors would yell out ‘Go slow Colombians,
go slow!’ But we didn’t know any other way. As soon as a climb would
start, we would attack and break up the peloton.
That’s not how they did things over there. They wanted to ride tempo,
and wait until near the summit to sort things out." As Pachón told me this story in the back of the bike shop he now owns in central Bogota, he started to laugh, clearly proud of the pain he inflicted all those years ago.
On the front page of the El Bogotano
newspaper during the Piccolo Giro (Pachón furthest to the left). The text reads "Colombia obliterated the competition! Pachon won today's stage".
As the 80s came, so too did teams like Cafe De Colombia and Postobon, the golden years of Colombian cycling in Europe. But that chapter came to a close in 1992, as the Postobon moved operations back to Colombia, and Lucho Herrera and Fabio Parra retired. Herrera chose a quiet life in his farm in Fusagasuga, while Parra finished his studies in business administration, and eventually started a plastics company.
The years that followed were not a complete dry spell for Colombians at the Giro, as they included stage wins and two mountains classification jerseys for Chepe Gonzalez, and other stage wins by Ivan Parra, Carlos Contreras, Oliverio Rincon (now a director at Team Colombia), and Luis Felipe Laverde. These were followed by impressive performances by Nelson Rodriguez, and more recently Jose Serpa, Carlos Betancur, Cayetano Sarmiento, Sergio Henao, as well as a stage win last year by Miguel Angel Rubiano last year, along with Rigoberto Uran taking the best young rider's jersey.
So tomorrow's start is not an absolute return of Colombians to the Giro, since they never fully went away. But the sheer number of riders (15), as well as the quality of the group is impressive.
Lucho Herrera wins Stage 9 into Terminillo at the Giro in '92 (finish comes at around 15:45)
Video introducing Team Colombia for this year's Giro
How these Colombian professionals perform at the race will depend on any number of variants. Some of the most talented riders will be supporting their team leaders (Serpa, Uran, Henao, Sarmiento), while others are given a bit more leeway (Betancur, Rubiano), and some will lead their team (Duarte, Atapuma).
There will be a great camaraderie between these riders, something that Esteban Chaves discussed with me earlier this year. Odd as it may seem, during last year's season all Colombian riders, regardless of what team they raced for, would congregate at Team Colombia's bus before races for coffee and a chat. This became a daily event, and will likely continue for many stages at the Giro. So there's a great degree of bonding that will happen between these 15 riders, as they all understand the importance of this moment. And in the end, regardless of how the race goes for all of them, fans of Colombian cycling can rest assured that within this group there is an unbelievable wealth of talent, some of which may still need some time to develop. This means we still have a significant amount of Colombian talent to look forward to.
Here's a list of who the riders competing at the Giro are, sorted by their race numbers.
#15 Carlos Alberto Betancur Gomez (on Twitter cabg1989)
Age: 23
Nickname: Bananito (Little banana)
Team: Ag2r Place of birth: Ciudad Bolivar, Antioquia
Explosive rider who excels at short punchy climbs, but can also keep up in longer climbs. Has shown an ability to win in any number of terrains, and is strategically wise beyond his years. He was a silver medalist at the 2009 U23 World Championships, won the GiroBio in 2010, and has already shown amazing form this year (3rd Fleche Wallone, 4th Liege Bastone Liege, 7th Tour of the Basque Country). Domenico Pozzovivo is Ag2r's team captain for the Giro, but Betancur has not ruled out a podium spot. He's mentally tough, and a very aggressive rider.
#28 Miguel Angel Rubiano Chavez (on Facebook here)
Age: 28
Team: Androni Giocattoli
Place of birth: Bogota, DC
Rubiano is a good climber, and has excelled in breakaways, including his stage win at the Giro last year. He has four top ten placings to his name this season (including 3rd overall at Coppi e Bartali, 5th at giro di Toscana, and 7th overall at the Tour de San Luis). Rubiano will ride in support of Franco Pellizotti.
#77 Cayetano Sarmiento Tunarrosa (on Twitter cayetanosarmien)
Age: 26
Team: Cannondale
Place of birth: Arcabuco, Boyaca
Sarmiento had strong showings at the Giro with Acqua & Sapone, who he signed with in 2009 after he won the GiroBio. He was fifth overall at the Tour of Slovinia during his first year as a professional, and won the mountains classification at the Dauphine last year. He's had a quiet season thus far, but has been given the freedom to hunt for a stage by his team.
#81 Darwin Atapuma Hurtado (on Twitter ElPumaDarwin)
Age: 25
Nickname: El Puma (the puma)
Team: Team Colombia
Place of birth: Tuquerres, Nariño
Atapuma is a very good climber, and showed good form at the Tour of Turkey (team Colombia has had few opportunities to race this year, particularly ones well suited to their abilities). He won a snowy stage at the Giro del Trentino last year, and was Colombia's road champion in 2008. Atapuma is a product of the Colombia Es Pasion Team. He will lead Team Colombia along with Fabio Duarte, in the absence of Esteban Chaves.
#81 Edwin Avila Vanegas (on Twitter edwinavila189)
Age: 24
Nickname: Kalimeno
Team: Team Colombia
Place of birth: Cali, Valle del Cauca
Avila comes from a track background (he's Juan Esteban Arango's partner in the Madison). Because of this, he follows in the great tradition of sprinters and rouleurs from Cali (a not-so-mountainous region by Colombian standards). He now lives in Bogota, where he's Esteban Chaves' training partner. Here's an interesting picture of Edwin at the Giro presentation from MFS.
#83 Robinson Chalapud Gomez ("Chalapud" is one of Colombia's original indigenous last names after the Spaniards arrived, and is almost exclusive to the region where Robinson is from. On Twitter robinsonchalapud)
Age: 29
Nickname: El Chala
Team: Team Colombia
Place of birth: Ipiales, Nariño (close to where Darwin Atapuma grew up)
Chalapud is an effective climbing domestique, a role he played well in Spain's Circuito Montañes in Spain for Fabio Duarte. He's been in the top ten in both the GP Miguel Indurain and the Tour de l'Ain. Like many others in Team Colombia, he's a product of the Colombia Es Pasion team.
#84 Fabio Andres Duarte (on Twitterfabioduarte)
Age: 27
Team: Team Colombia
Place of birth: Facatativa, Cundinamarca (near Bogota)
Fabio Duarte remains one of Colombia's most promising talents, in part due to his ability to win in any number of terrains. Duarte had a tough upbringing, but managed to get ahead, becoming the U23 world champion in 2008. He came up through the Colombia Es Pasion team, and raced wtih Geox-TMC before the team dissolved. He won a stage at the Giro del Trentino, and was fifth overall at the Tour of California last year. He will lead Team Colombia along with Atapuma, in the absence of Esteban Chaves.
#85 Leonardo Duque (last name is pronounce "doo-keh", not "dookie". On Facebook here)
Age: 33
Team: Team Colombia
Place of birth: Cali, Valle del Cauca
A talented sprinter from the city of Cali, Duque is the most experienced Colombian rider at the Giro. He raced for Cofidis for six years, won a stage at the Vuelta a España, and competed in the cobbled classics year after year for the French team. Duque and his family live in France full time. He was sixth at this year's Roma Maxima, fourth at E3 Harelbeke last year, and 3rd overall at the Tour de Picardie. In true Colombian style, Duque has strong climbing abilities for a sprinter.
#86 Wilson Marentes (on Facebook here)
Age: 28
Team: Team Colombia
Place of birth: Facatativa, Cundinamarca (near Bogota, where he grew up)
Another product of Colombia Es Pasion, Marentes is an all-arounder who does well in medium mountains and time trials. He was second in the Colombian time trial championships in 2011. His victories have largely come in Colombian races, but he was also fifth at the Tour of Portugal last year.
#87 Daliver Ospina (on Twitter Daliver)
Age: 28
Team: Team Colombia
Place of birth: Palmira, Valle del Cauca (near Cali)
Ospina comes from the Colombia Es Pasion team, and he's from the area around the city of Cali, meaning that he's not a climber, but a strong rouleur, who is effective as a domestique for the team.
#88 Jarlinson Pantano (His last name means "swamp". On Twitter jarlinsonpantan)
Age: 25
Nickname: Pais or El Pais (Country. Unusual nickname. Jarlinson always greets people by calling them "pais". "Que hubo pais?" so others in turn started calling him that same word.)
Team: Team Colombia
Place of birth: Cali, Valle del Cauca
If you've read this far into the rider descriptions, you've no doubt realized there's a pattern. And that pattern continues with Pantano. He's from Cali, so you know he's not a pure climber. He does well in medium mountains and rolling terrain, and can sprint well at the end of such stages. Having said that, he can still hold his own in the mountains, and was thus on the podium at the Tour d l'Avenir, where he also won the polka dot jersey. He won a stage at the Tour Mediterranean last year, and also comes from the Colombia Es Pasion team.
#89 Carlos Julian Quintero (on Twitter carjulian05)
Age: 27
Team: Team Colombia
Place of birth: Villa Maria, Caldas (near Manizales)
Some may remember Quintero for his bad crash at Milan San Remo last year. Still, he recovered and took the polka dot jersey at the 4 Days Of Dunkerque. Quintero climbs well, but is multi-talented in part due to his track background.
#128 Jose Serpa Perez
Age: 34
Nickname: El Leon De Bucaramanga (The Lion of Bucaramanga, the city where he grew up and now lives)
Team: Lampre Merida
Place of birth: Corozal, Sucre
Perez is the Colombian rider with the most Giros in his legs. He'll be racing for Michelle Scarponi, though he himself was often a team leader during his years with Androni Giocattoli. Perez won the Tour de Langkawi in 2012, and has always excelled in early season races like Tour de San Luis, and Lombardia (where he wont a stage in 2010). He's had 34 professional victories. He's a strong climber, and as you can see in the image above, is capable of growing a powerful off-season mustache, which he tends to do every year.
#183 Sergio Luis Henao (pronounced eh-nah-oh)
Age: 25
Nickname: Venado (The Deer, with the"d" being almost silent, and thus sounding like like last name)
Team: Sky
Place of birth: Rionegro, Antioquia
Henao had his grand tour debut last year at the Giro, managing an impressive 9th while riding in support of Rigoberto Uran. He wore the white jersey for two stages, eventually passing it on to Uran. Henao is also a product of Colombia Es Pasion, and won a stage at the Volta ao Algarve this season, along with being second at Fleche Wallonne, sixth at Amstel Gold, third overall at the Tour of the Basque country, along with having won a stage there as well. Henao is a climber, and does well in long climbs, but also excels in short explosive ones. His abilities are perhaps most closely matched by fellow Colombian Carlos Betancur. He'll be riding in support of Bradley Wiggins. You can read my interview with Hano here. Oh, and if you're wondering, yes Sergio (like most of us Colombians) is fairly short.
#188 Rigoberto Uran Uran (If you want to understand how last names from Spanish-speaking countries are structured, and why Rigoberto has the same last name twice, go here. On Twiter UranRigoberto)
Age: 26
Nickname: Rigo
Team: Sky
Place of birth: Urrao, Antioquia
Uran is now an experienced rider within the European peloton. He won the silver medal at the 2013 olympic road race, along with many impressive showings throughout his time as a professional. 2nd at the Volta a Catalunya (2008), 3rd overall in Lomardia (2008), 5th at Liege Bastogne Liege (2011), he wore the white jersey at the Tour in 2011 for four stages, and won a stage at the Volta a Catalunya last year. As a climber, he's well suited for long steady climbs, though his Olympic road race showed that he's not simply a pure climber, but is capable of doing well in different terrain, perhaps as a result of his track background. Uran will ride in support of Bradley Wiggins, but has not totally discounted some stage opportunities toward the end of the race. You can read my interview with him here. As a point of reference regarding the amount of Colombians racing in Europe today, consider that when Rigoberto, who is only 26, arrived in Europe, only two other Colombians were professionals there.
While a great deal of traffic has come to the blog as a result of Nairo Quintana's win at the Tour of the Basque country, today's post focuses not on Nairo, but his brother Dayer. Like Nairo, Dayer grew up in Boyaca, a cycling-rich department of Colombia, northeast of Bogota. Like Nairo, Dayer knew next to nothing about cycling growing up. Riding a bike, for him, was a simple necessity.
Financial realities were tough for the Quintana family, but their fighting and industrious spirit persevered. The two siblings learned to drive a car early on, at only ten years of age or so, in order to make a living. This is something they learned from their older brother, who also began driving taxis at night around that age, in order to make a living while not being spotted driving by the authorities. This, I would argue, is exemplary of the Colombian spirit, and a certain saying that is common throughout the country: pa'lante, an informal compression of the words "para adelante", which mean moving forward, or always looking on and forging ahead despite obstacles.
At any rate, these days, Nairo's brother Dayer is 20 years old. Having seen his brother's success from early on, he's wanted to follow in Nairo's footsteps. Like his brother, Dayer is a climber, and at 128 pounds (58 kilos), 5'5" (167 cms), he's ideally suited for the task. But this is where things get rather interesting.
In order to help his young brother a couple of years back, Nairo worked to create a U23 squad in his local department, for the riders that the state-sponsored team in their region hadn't picked. To do so, Nairo secured sponsorship from the local police, in order to make sure that the riders would have some pay, as well as food and altitude training covered. In order to do this, riders had to sign up to be police officers, on paper, in order to draw their salary through their sponsor. Though unusual, the matter appeared to be merely administrative.
Dayer, wearing the kit for the team sponsored by the National Police (Photo: Nuestro Ciclismo)
While this arrangement was made with a General in the police, eventually there was "an issue with politicians" according to Nairo, and the team's riders were made to actually serve as police officers, though they didn't want to, and never intended to. They were, in a sense, conscripted to serve. That included Dayer, who served as an officer for 18 months, "patrolling the streets, in boots and full uniform" according to Nairo's account.
Luckily for Dayer, his brother's connections within local government (his friend had been mayor of Tunja) came in handy, and Dayer was allowed to leave the force just recently. Not so for the other riders in the team.
During Dayer's 18 months in the force, he was not allowed to race or train, thus loosing a full season in the sport. He's just now back on the bike, and with Nairo's help has signed on with an amateur squad in Spain for the season. Curiously enough, Dayer's Facebook page still lists the National Police as his employer.
It's perhaps because of this type of circumstance, that novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez once rightfully said that as a Colombian, he's had to ask very little of his imagination. Such is our reality.
"Poets and beggars, musicians and prophets, warriors and
scoundrels, all creatures of that unbridled reality, we have had
to ask but little of imagination, for our crucial problem has
been a lack of conventional means to render our lives believable.
This, my friends, is the crux of our solitude."
– Gabriel García Márquez
Thanks to Mike Spriggs for pointing this article out to me, which came to him via Jen See.
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