So where are the Colombians in the Protour?

[Escarabajo]

I can not help to notice certain dominance from the Colombian climbers in the Amateur rankings, and yet they fail to make the Pro-Tour teams. What is going on? Certainly it can not be money. And certainly not all of them ride like Soler. So I find a disconnect here.

And something else, I like the rules that the organizers have put in place to combat doping in the Baby Giro.

Here are some of the Results that I am talking about:

June 15, Stage 5: Pozzoleone - Cima Grappa 184.1km
Betancur grabs another Girobio stage win
By: Cycling NewsPublished: June 15, 20:09, Updated: June 15, 20:10Colombian remains in overall lead

Full Results
# Rider Name (Country) Team Result
1 Carlos Betancur (Col) Colombia National Team 4:53:03
2 Edward Beltran (Col) Colombia National Team 0:02:38
3 Gabriele Pizzaballa (Ita) Team Palazzago 0:02:50
4 Edoardo Zardini (Ita) Mantovani Cycling Fontana 0:03:20
5 Antonio Santoro (Ita) Mastromarco Chianti Sensi Benedetti 0:03:27
6 Alessio Marchetti (Ita) Casati Ngc Perrel A.S.D. 0:03:30
7 Alessandro Stocco (Ita) U.C. Trevigiani Dynamon Bottoli 0:03:36
8 Fabio Aru (Ita) Team Palazzago 0:04:02
9 Diego Zanco (Ita) G.S. Zalf Desiree Fior 0:04:27
10 Matteo Rabottini (Ita) Aran d'Angelo & Antenucci Cogem 0:04:32
11 Winer Anacona (Col) Colombia National Team 0:06:02
12 Henry Frusto (Ita) Team S.C.A.P. Prefabbricati Foresi 0:06:12
13 Carlos Quintero Norena (Col) Bedogni Grassi Natalini 0:06:31
14 Stefano Locatelli (Ita) De Nardi Colpack Bergamasca 0:06:36
15 Enrico Battaglin (Ita) G.S. Zalf Desiree Fior 0:06:54

General classification after stage 5 # Rider Name (Country) Team Result
1 Carlos Betancur (Col) Colombia National Team 18:09:29
2 Edward Beltran (Col) Colombia National Team 0:02:46
3 Antonio Santoro (Ita) Mastromarco Chianti Sensi Benedetti 0:04:07
4 Edoardo Zardini (Ita) Mantovani Cycling Fontana 0:05:29
5 Winer Anacona (Col) Colombia National Team 0:06:22
6 Alessio Marchetti (Ita) Casati Ngc Perrel A.S.D. 0:06:53
7 Diego Zanco (Ita) G.S. Zalf Desiree Fior 0:07:05
8 Matteo Rabottini (Ita) Aran d'Angelo & Antenucci Cogem 0:07:07
9 Alessandro Stocco (Ita) U.C. Trevigiani Dynamon Bottoli 0:07:25
10 Stefano Locatelli (Ita) De Nardi Colpack Bergamasca 0:07:45

Circuito Montañes:

Final general classification # Rider Name (Country) Team Result
1 Fabio Duarte (Col) Café De Colombia - Colombia Es Pasión 28:42:14
2 Carlos I Oyarzun Guiñez (Chi) Supermercados Froiz 0:01:14
3 Higinio Fernández Suárez (Spa) Caja Rural 0:02:04
4 José Herrada López (Spa) Caja Rural 0:03:04
5 Niels Albert (Bel) BKCP - Powerplus 0:03:24
6 Luca Zanasca (Ita) CDC - Cavaliere 0:03:26
7 Robinson Eduard Chalapud (Col) Café De Colombia - Colombia Es Pasión 0:03:56
8 Israel Pérez Rodríguez (Spa) Extremadura - Spiuk 0:04:04
9 Sergi Escobar Roure (Spa) Guerola - Valencia Terra I Mar 0:04:09

The only lucky one has been Uran, and I think he made it to the Protour very young because his VO2 max must be close to the clouds. Don't say the "D" word yet because there were a lot of other riders before him that they could have picked and none of them made it so that could not be the reason.

Maybe we need more money to build a Pro-Tour team on our own, but they are so expensive after 1991. The budgets have skyrocketed.

You know what would be fun? Get these "Escarabajos" to climb against the Europeans in the Vuelta a Colombia. Make it a Pro-Tour event. At least we would get more exposure to the Protour.

 

[luckyboy]

Always liked the idea of having another Café de Colombia team in Europe.

 

[Escarabajo]

Always liked the idea of having another Café de Colombia team in Europe.

So we would have:

Soler, Uran, Fabio Duarte, Mauricio Ardila, Duque, Laverde, Peña, Cayetano, and a few of the best new comers from the Amateur rankings. There are a few winning in Mexico also. There are so many good ones to pick from. We just need some money.

We can add a couple of Venezuelans also. Someone like Rujano would be explosive.

We need to add some rollers to the team. If we don't put rollers in this team they will never make it to the mountains.

 

[ericthesportsman6]

So we would have:

Soler, Uran, Fabio Duarte, Mauricio Ardila, Duque, Laverde, Peña, Cayetano, and a few of the best new comers from the Amateur rankings. There are a few winning in Mexico also. There are so many good ones to pick from. We just need some money.

We can add a couple of Venezuelans also. Someone like Rujano would be explosive.

Man that would be an awesome team!

 

[ttrider]

Man that would be an awesome team!

Yeh definitely agree a kind of Columbian Euskatel in terms of selection and tactics with all those climbers

Only thing left is down hill ttt to watch them all end up in different bushes!

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Cayetano Sarmiento is Venezuelan.

Don't forget Sucka Serpa or Alex Caño either!

Anyway, after Scott-Marcondes César, my hope would be for a couple more South American teams to go ProContinental - teams like Colombia es Pasión and EPM-UNE (I would love to see Mauricio Ortega in Europe), and also Boyacá Orgullo de America - and appear at some races like Trentino, Portugal, Burgos, and the like, and see if they can do the same that the Colombia es Pasión guys did at the lower-ranked Vuelta a Asturias earlier this season. The Österreichrundfahrt would be another good shout - mountains, against the Tour so less immediate competition, a good route into success in Europe.

Is there any rule that says amateur teams can't go above 2.2 level or something that means that the Vuelta a Colombia or Clasico RCN couldn't rise a level and thus pay some UCI points?

 

[Escarabajo]

Don't forget Sucka Serpa or Alex Caño either!

How could I forget Serpa. They rider from my homeland Santander.

Add also, Gregorio Ladino, Diego Tamayo.

Cayetano Sarmiento is Venezuelan.

He is from Boyaca my friend.
http://espndeportes.espn.go.com/news/story?id=1019402&s=otr&type=story

Quiero dar gracias a Dios por permitirme estar acá, a mi familia, amigos, al equipo, por el apoyo y confianza y a Serpa, Rigoberto, Ardila y Duque por los consejos, por preguntar, porque nos une la sangre y cada que nos vemos en el lote nos preguntamos "¿se cayó, hermano?, ¿que le paso Gue..?, ¿ya mejorcito o qué?" Nos preocupamos por las caídas, el clima, etc.

http://www.revistamundociclistico.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7423&Itemid=74

La Selección Colombia Sub 23 viaja este viernes en horas de la tarde rumbo a Italia para defender el título del GiroBio que se obtuvo el año anterior con el boyacense Cayetano Sarmiento

http://www.revistamundociclistico.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7293&Itemid=74

una soberbia actuación del joven ciclista colombiano Cayetano " Piccolino " Sarmiento, del equipo Acqua e Sapone quien arribó en una brillante novena plaza

 

[Libertine Seguros]

My apologies. I've seen a Venezuelan flag next to his name one time and it's stuck in my head. Obviously that was a mistake, or maybe even the flag was for the next rider in the next column and I've misinterpreted or something.

For the hypothesised team, perhaps Felix Cardeñas could DS?

There's also Edwin Carvajal on Miche, a couple on SP-Tableware in Greece, Ivan Parrá is still knocking about too... Marlon Pérez as well, Freddy Montaña, and my homeboy Weimar Roldán.

Plus, of course, you have a lot of talented youngsters in the amateur ranks who could easily make it up a level.

For Venezuelan talent, besides the obvious ones like José Rujano, Jackson Rodríguez and Carlos José Ochoa, you have José Alarcón, Jonathan Camargo, and another potential DS, ex-Euskaltel man Unai Etxebarría...

 

[Martin318is]

Always liked the idea of having another Café de Colombia team in Europe.

Would be absolutely awesome. (My wife is Colombian incidentally)

Unfortunately I don't think the "Café de Colombia" brand is going as strongly as it did in the past. Some nasty comptetition going on these days.

As to the question of Colombians in the Pros. I think its possibly a question of how many climbers each team really wants. A lot of teams these days don't seem to want even one pure climber in their lineup. Asside from GC contenders they seem to be looking for power riders more than anything else at the moment.

 

[Sasquatch]

Cafe de Colombia is like the Fly V of Australia. Trying to get into the protour.

 

[Escarabajo]

You see what happens when you ban vitamins from a bicycle race.


http://www.revistamundociclistico.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7525&Itemid=74

 

[jens_attacks]

you gotta love colombian cyclists.i do.

 

[Michele]

Will we see 2 young colombian among Ceramiche Flaminia roster?

 

[SpartacusRox]

I think most of them are back at their hotel doing a few lines..

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

The reason is in fact very simple. Money. Most Colombians don't like to move to Europe isolated in a team and you won't find many European teams that will take in 4 or 5 Colombians. They are by far the most naturally gifted cyclists in the world but they often chose to ride in their own country where they make a fine living and have huge fame. According to Libardo Leyton basically all the top 50 Colombian pro's/u23/juniors every year get lots of offers from European teams but they don't want to go because they are offering a lack of money(while many have families to feed) and they don't want to go alone. Don't forget that in Colombia cyclists turn pro at 17/18. There's no u23 category.

The only chance of seeing many Colombians come to Europe is by having a new huge Colombian team in Europe. And herein lies the problem. Like Brazil in football Colombia has the best riders in the world but also the worst directions and federations in the world. Last year Gianetti went to Colombia to talk about a merger with his Footon sponsor and Pro Tour license and Cafe de Colombia. However the Colombians only wanted in if they would've gotten all the rider spots and director sportif spots. Gianetti could only stay as a manager and nothing else because of his doping past. Gianetti of course refused and now he rides with a ****ty team in all the best races...

A good example is Sergio Henao. He was offered 100,000 euros by Gianetti for his first year with Footon after the merger couldn't go through he at least tried to get him. Then came orgullo Paisa that offered him more and he decided to stay in Colombia. Duarte is a great example of a talented rider that will never go to Europe unless in a Colombian team after the Selle Italia horror he went rhough. He was offered a top spot by Acqua en Sapone last year to be the substitute of the aging Garzelli but he refused...

edit: another good example how how bad colombian cycling politics are. The Colombian cycling federation were given 3 million euros for 4 years to get a good track squad up again. After 3 years there was still 2,8 million euros left and nothing was done. After the death of most recent federation director the last year has been an impresseive year for colombian trackcycling though and it may now seem they finally get it right but it goes very sloooow.

Cafe de Colombia has a huge budget and is going to be 6 million euros next year. Yes that's right! They pay tons of money for biological passport this year with no use since they won't ride any big tours or pt races. Then they pay alot of money to go to Europe a few times a year with u23 and elite teams. Stay in Hotels, transfer all their equipment including itt bikes. the races they ride outside of colombia aren't races that are being well known in europe like the Canadian races they do.

 

[Michele]

That's a nice insight.
Probably they'd need to merger with some european based team just for have some hint/etc.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

It does mean that I'm going to have to pester you for links to TV coverage of Colombian races, though.

 

[Escarabajo]

...


A good example is Sergio Henao. He was offered 100,000 euros by Gianetti for his first year with Footon after the merger couldn't go through he at least tried to get him. Then came orgullo Paisa that offered him more and he decided to stay in Colombia. Duarte is a great example of a talented rider that will never go to Europe unless in a Colombian team after the Selle Italia horror he went through. He was offered a top spot by Acqua en Sapone last year to be the substitute of the aging Garzelli but he refused...

...

That's a very nice summary Ryo. Can you please explain what happened with Duarte in the Selle Italia please? I heard some things went wrong but never knew exactly what the problem was.

 

[Escarabajo]

I think most of them are back at their hotel doing a few lines..

Are you the expert on this subject?

 

[Barrus]

It does mean that I'm going to have to pester you for links to TV coverage of Colombian races, though.

I'm going to agree with LS on this one

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

That's a very nice summary Ryo. Can you please explain what happened with Duarte in the Selle Italia please? I heard some things went wrong but never knew exactly what the problem was.

He was promised a lot by Savio which was what happens with all of the Colombians in Savio's team. Savio is a much hated man in Colombia because he screwed up many cyclists like he got Alexis Castro, who was a huge talent and then never made him do a single race in Europe. All empty promises while they make little or no money in Savio's team. Rujano made 250 euros a week before the giro 2005. No wonder money screwed him up, same with Carlos Contreras. Savio may say he never had any money to pay the riders but he always paid the Italians a lot more, while the Colombians needed it more because they were away from home and had lots of extra costs.

Duarte was put in a Hotel in Italy by himself. He had no one to train with no one to speak with and he wasn't selected to ride basically any race in Europe so within 6 months he got so homesick he went back and never came back.

 

[BroDeal]

250 euros a week? Jeebus.

I am shocked that Cafe de Columbia's budget is six million euros. A pretty good european team could be put together for that dosh.

 

[Michele]

Well, if we think that some guys even need to pay for ride into Continental teams (protour as well)...
Not trying to defend Savio at all.

 

[L'arriviste]

Top 3 on GC at the Girobio as of yesterday are Colombian. Give it a couple of years and maybe they'll start popping up and out of the dark like mushrooms.

 

[craig1985]

Didn't Botero get screwed over money wise when he went to Kelme? IIRC when he mentioned that the money wasn't enough, he was then told that it was a millionaires wage back in Colombia (which was odd considering his DS who said that, his wife was Colombian).