In Colombia, Nairo Quintana is a man with magical powers. By entering a room, even a seemingly empty one, he causes dozens of selfie-seeking fans to materialize as if out of thin air. Crowds chant “Nairo! Nairo! Nairo!” when he appears. And also when he doesn’t appear. And other times. They mob his Movistar team bus and chase it on their bikes for miles. And when he gets to his hotel they gather and wait for another chance — to get a glimpse, to take a picture, to chant some more.
Amazingly, given the massive popularity of riders like Quintana, Rigoberto Uran (EF Education First), Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step Floors), and of pro cycling generally, the biggest races in Colombia have only been categorized UCI 2.2. In other words, lower tier. In recent years private organizers have looked into putting on bigger races only to find that in order to have your race approved by the Colombian federation, it needs to be organized by the Colombian federation.
But the demand for a bigger race, one that would attract the biggest stars and their World Tour teams, put significant pressure on the federation to finally step up and fill in this glaring gap in the Colombian cycling scene. Enter Colombia Oro y Paz — “Gold and Peace” — a first-year UCI 2.1 event held February 6-11 that drew seemingly every major Colombian rider in professional cycling, and saw 21-year-old phenom Egan Bernal take victory over the nation’s biggest stars in his first season with Team Sky.
Now that the gap has been filled, cycling fans in Colombia and around the world can look forward to at least three more years of seeing the biggest Colombian talents go head to head on their home roads. Future editions are planned in the departments of Antioquia and Boyaca, and along the Caribbean coast. The department of Antioquia, home of the city of Medellin, is a particular hotbed of cycling in a country with no shortage of them. And Boyaca is, of course, the home of Nairo Quintana. If you listen closely, you just might be able to hear them already chanting his name.
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- Nairo Quintana and the man designated to keep selfie-seeking fans away from him, doing just that.
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- A multitasking fan with a child on his shoulders waves a Colombian flag while photographing the passing race.
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- The pack enters the finish town of Buga where Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step Floors) has just completed his hat trick of three sprint wins in three days.
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- Rigoberto Uran greets fans at the EF Education First Drapac bus.
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- Daniel Jaramillo (UnitedHealthcare) poses for a selfie with fans at the sign-in in Buga.
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- The crowd awaits the start of Stage 4 in Buga.
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- The pack rolls through the verdant Colombian countryside.
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- Neutral service in the ubiquitous rosado of Manzana Postobon.
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- A man waves a Colombian flag as the race passes.
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- CCC–Sprandi–Polkowice rider Adrian Kurek is cheered on as he makes his way through the caravan.
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- Riders at the back of the peloton make their way up the climb to El Tambo.
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- Fans line a hillside near the Stage 4 finish on El Tambo.
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- Huge crowds turned out for the Stage 4 hilltop finish on El Tambo
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- Mounted Carabineros at the finish of Stage 5.
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- Egan Bernal of Team Sky makes his way through the crowd to the podium.
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- A huge crowd waits outside of the the Movistar bus chanting “Nairo! Nairo! Nairo!”
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- Swiss rider and Colombia resident Simon Pelaud (Team Illuminate) opts for some unorthodox recovery with the students of the Fundacion Moi Pour Toi.
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- Two GW-Shimano riders make their way to the start line of Stage 5 in Pereira.
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- Many fans will be disappointed not to see Quintana in action at Tour Colombia in 2020.
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- The crowd at sign-in for Stage 6 as Nairo Quintana and his Movistar team take the stage.
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- Evgeny Kovalev and Sergei Shilov (Russian national team) wait to sign on at the start of Stage 6.
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- A man in indigenous garb attracts attention as he watches the finish of Stage 6 in Manizales.
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- A street food vendor in Manizales.
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- The live radio broadcasts in Colombia do not rely on an announcer watching the race on TV in a studio.
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- TJ Eisenhart (Holowesko-Citadel) leads John Rodriguez (Colombia), Julio Camacho (Coldeportes-Claro) and Miguel Florez (Colombia) up the finishing climb in Manizales.