People noted that she wore black from head to toe. At the time, this was indicative of the fact that she was mourning someone's passing. But who did she mourn?
There was an air of sadness about her, but it always lifted when races like the Vuelta a Colombia came to town. She suddenly had a purpose. Riders looked forward to getting their bags of fruit from her, and thanked her accordingly. Perhaps she knew that these young Colombian men missed their mothers while on the road (Colombian men have always been notorious "mama's boys"). Perhaps she too missed someone.
With Cochise Rodriguez
With Ariel Betancur
With Carlos Arturo Rueda, "The Voice of the Vuelta a Colombia"
With Manuel Puerto, winner of the first U23 Vuelta a Colombia (1968)
(Photos by Horacio Gil Ochoa)
(Photos by Horacio Gil Ochoa)
Great photos. She looks like she is crying in the photo with Cochise. I wonder if anyone has taken her place, or, could she still be alive? I love all those stories on the side of the road at a bike race. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteIt is common practice for widows in Spanish-influenced countries to wear black after the death of their husband. Perhaps her late husband was a cyclist and she enjoyed taking care of cyclists after his death, perhaps as a living tribute to the man she loved.
ReplyDeleteSal,
ReplyDeleteI thought it was certainly for her husband. What's great about images like these is that they allow our imaginations to fill in the blanks, which is perhaps greater than knowing the whole story at times. At least I think so. The little I know came from a book I have, and from faint memories by one rider.
Amazing what you find when the focus shifts away from those main characters and zooms in on the sidelines... love the photos. Thanks for telling about "mom".
ReplyDelete