Colombia equals climbers. The nation’s cycling identity has been shaped overwhelmingly by the exploits of its riders in the mountains, from Lucho Herrera and Santiago Botero in the 1980’s to the ‘new wave’ of Nairo Quintana, Rigoberto Urán et al today. The winds of change are blowing, however, and two sprints in two stages at the Colombia Oro y Paz race, both won by the prodigious Colombian Fernando Gaviria, have highlighted a broadening of horizons.
Wednesday’s stage 2 was pretty much a carbon copy of the opening day. It was a more traditional road stage than the circuit-based affair yesterday, but the final 1.5 kilometres were exactly the same, and it played out like a replay. Quick-Step Floors took control, Gaviria came off Max Richeze’s wheel at the same moment, and Manzana Postobon’s Juan Sebastián Molano was again the only rider who could get near him.
Molano’s pair of second-place finishes here provide more evidence that this ‘new dawn' of Colombian sprinting is not confined solely to one Gaviria.
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The 23-year-old hails from Nairo Quintana’s region, Boyaca, which lies 2000m above sea level, but a velodrome situated just 10km from his home has seen him follow a similar path to Gaviria. The pair know each other well. As well as being teammates on the track for the national squad, they’ve ridden together on the road, and notably went one-two at a stage of the 2014 Vuelta a Juventud, Gaviria allowing Molano to take it and pointing to him as they crossed the line.
“Juan Sebastián is in the same process as Gaviria was. He’s in the process of going from the track to the road, and making that transition that will allow him to be among the best in the world," Manzana Postobon director Luis Fernando Saldarriaga told Cyclingnews in Palmira after stage 2 of the Oro y Paz.
“He’s a rider who has a lot of ability. He has the technical and tactical know-how from the track that allows him to make his way through a road race. That crossover between the track and the road, he has that, and he’s a powerful guy."
In a nation of climbers, Saldarriaga says he’s always kept an eye out for sprinters, and now others are coming round. As well as Gaviria and Molano, there’s also 21-year-old Alvaro Hodeg, now a teammate of Gaviria having won a stage last year’s Tour de l’Avenir, and 23-year-old Nelson Soto at Caja Rural.
“We Colombians are a little radical – it’s like if you don’t climb you’re no use. But things are opening up more now, the directors are starting to believe in having riders with this speciality, which allows them to fight for more stage victories,” said Saldarriaga.
“At the moment, Colombia is undergoing a transformation in terms of not just having climbers, but sprinters, too. It’s not that there are more velodromes or more races, but simply teams are now working very specifically on this area. Beforehand there was a very general approach, and not looking at those specific types of muscle fibres. Now people are working more precisely on this area and that’s why we’re seeing different sprinters come through."
Molano and Gaviria may be united by their bucking of the national trend, but there’s little room for friendship in the final 200 metres of a race. Molano, clearly not overawed by the status of his rival, bashed his handlebars in frustration after the second defeat in Palmira.
“We were up against one of the best teams and riders in the world in this type of scenario,” he conceded. "But we want to win.”
He’ll have one last chance on Thursday’s stage 3 to Buga, before the Oro y Paz turns to more familiar terrain and the climbers take back the spotlight.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest Race Results http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/colombia-oro-y-paz-2018/stage-2/results
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