Colombian Rodrigo Contreras (Nu Colombia) made history by becoming the first runner not on a World team to win the Tour Colombiaafter valiantly defending the yellow jersey in the sixth and final stage between Sopó and Bogotá, 138.7 km, where his compatriot Jhonatan Restrepo (Team Colombia) won.
In an exciting day to the end, the party is Colombian, with a stage victory for Restrepo, a rider performing for Alberto Contador’s Polti Kometa, and the last yellow jersey for “Rorró” Contreras, hero and prophet in his land.
Both runners went on a 12-runner breakaway for the win. The fastest sprinter on the streets of Bogotá was Restrepo, who beat the Ecuadorian Richar Carapaz (EF Eduation) and the “Pony” Alejandro Osorio (Erco Shimano), Colombian champion, with a time of 3h.06.24.
In eighth position, with a smile from ear to ear, Contreras came in to seal the victory of his life. He is now the champion of the Colombia Tour. He climbed to the top of the podium accompanied by Ecuadorians Carapaz and Jonathan Caicedo, second and third. Rigoberto Urán and Egan Bernal were left in the box.
NOTES FROM CARAPAZ AND EGAN BERNAL
There is no leader worship stage on the last day, as is usually the case, for example in the Tour or Vuelta. walking along the Champs Elysées or La Castellana. A stage with 2 passes through Alto de Sisga, some undefined difficulties and a final climb to Alto de Patios (3a, 2.9 km at 7.2) with summit 12 from the finish line is no joke.
There was room for the greats of the peloton and World Tour teams to mount the revolution in the general classification, defended in style by Rodrigo Contreras. And it happened. The sun was very intense.
The batch was launched from the mighty hill of Sopó, near Bogotá. The pace quickly picked up at the front, where well-known names appeared. Carapaz, the hero of Alto del Vino, 17 seconds behind the leader, gained 4 seconds in the first intermediate steps. Clear notice from the Olympic champion.
Then a Tour and Giro winner entered the scene, Cundinamarca idol Egan Bernal, who attacked by climbing the Alto de Sisga, 74 minutes from the finish line. The cyclist from the Colombian team took Jamaica (Medellín) on the wheel and between the two they opened enough space to become the virtual leader.
The EF of Carapaz, Urán and Chaves did not admit that scenario and they reacted to find and capture Bernal. With 35 minutes remaining, the goal was achieved, but not before the Ecuadorian gave himself 1 second more in the Santa Isabel sprint. In total I now have 5 extras. The machinery of the pink team is in motion, ready to destroy Contreras’ illusions.
Carapaz against Contreras. Exciting rivalry to the end. The intentions are clear, and very sharp. In the middle of the race, Bernal was still waiting to fish in a turbulent river, and Movistar had Iván Sosa, who received Nairo Quintana’s bike after it broke down.
CARAPAZ AND EF CAN’T BE IN CONTRERAS
The battlefield was set in the final difficulty of the closing stage, in Alto de Patios, 3 km on a 7 percent gradient. That’s where we should attack. That’s what Richard Carapaz did, opening a dozen seconds. It looked like the Olympic champion would destroy the race, but Contreras set the ships on fire to reconnect.
In the descent, 8 men were ahead, those in the general classification. There were no climbs left, so all that was left was the surprise attack strategy. Rigoberto Urán stalled to try to get rid of the leader, but there was no way. In the middle of the fight, Bernal had a mechanical problem and lost his camber.
The sprint is inevitable. Carapaz launched a bid for victory and the 10-second bonus, but Restrepo passed him in a flash and took the glory of victory in the Colombian capital.
Fantastic Contreras (Villapinzón, 29 years old), who added his third professional victory. A World Tour level cyclist, who has played in Quick Step and Astana, and dreams of returning to the highest level. Today, a prophet in his land, the first winner of the Tour Colombia without a race in a top formation of the category.
Contreras replaced his compatriot Sergio Higuita in the Tour Colombia record, winner of the last edition held in 2020.
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.
