The Bolívar Square in Tunjathe capital of the department of Boyacá, the highest capital city in the country (2,782 meters), witnessed the great Colombian cycling festival with presentation of the teams that will participate starting Tuesday in the Tour Colombiaa stage where national cyclists are honored, with special passion Nairo Quintanawho heard “Happy Birthday” from the stage.
Colombia’s famed love for cycling is real, but the environment in which it lives is one that has to be seen in situ to be believed. From dawn the fans from Boyacá began to take positions in the Plaza de Bolívar, surrounding the statue of the Liberator in rings, standing on his horse and hat in hand, as if he wanted to scare the pigeons sometimes that traces his figure.
The enormous Plaza de Tunja, with the Palacio de la Torre, headquarters of the Government of Boyacá, the Office of the Mayor of the city and above all the Metropolitan Basilica Cathedral of Santiago, provided space for marketing paraphernalia to meet the fans demand, that They can buy clothes from the brands of Nairo Quintana or Rigoberto Urán or coffee with the names of both cycling idols.
The 24 teams that will leave on Tuesday to face the first stage between Paipa and Duitama appear on stage to the rhythm of the “Salpicón” group, a type of minstrels, or “bertsolaris” in Euskadi who improvise “trovas “, poems-songs accompanied by a fixed rhythm, full of smoke and intelligence.
The public, on a pleasant sunny day, responded to the call, attracted to see up close the main idols of Colombia and some from other countries, such as the British sprinter Mark Cavendishor even like the retired Murcian Alejandro Valverde, who bathed in mass.
“A cyclist of courage and courage, Cavendish, the best sprinter,” said the artists of “Salpicón.” And Valverde, overwhelmed, let loose: “What an atmosphere, I think I should have come earlier.”
Enthusiasm increases by degrees. The presence of Rigoberto Urán increases the decibel of the crew, without a doubt a cyclist of charisma, whose figure is the star of a telenovela. The EF Education leader narrowly edged out fellow Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz, a Giro winner and Olympic champion in Tokyo.
But the total party continued until the Plaza de Bolívar went crazy with the presence of Movistar. There, the cyclist who brought glory to Colombia and Boyacá on several occasions was excited, somewhat diminished. Nairo Quintana, in front of his audience, on his 34th birthday.
“Nairo, Nairo!!” echoed the square. The native of Cómbita raised his arms, placed his hand on his chest, touched and thanked from the bottom of his heart. “The pride of Colombia, a cyclist with legs capable of lifting the Colombian flag around the world,” recited the artists of “Salpicón.”
Finally, and new Nairo left the stage with his Movistar teammates, where there were two other Colombians, Fernando Gaviria and Ivan Ramiro Sosathe crowd dedicated to him, yes, in English, “Happy Birthday.”
The party ended with the Colombian national team, turn for already distinguished runners such as Egan Bernal, a winner of the Tour de France, the only Colombian to achieve it, and the Giro d’Italia. The man from Cundinamarca is more serious, perhaps ready to speak loudly on the road from Tuesday. The Colombia Tour is hitting hard.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
