Rodrigo Contreras is the champion of Colombia Tour. An immense result, because the 29-year-old rider from the NU team defeated the great World Tour cyclists who were in the race, such as Richard Carapaz, Rigoberto Urán, Egan Bernal and Nairo Quintana.
On Sunday, in the final stage, he ran with intelligence, withstood Carapaz's attacks, Bernal's escape and entered the leading lot with Jhonatan Restrepo as winner.
(Nairo Quintana and Egan Bernal, the two sides of the coin in the Tour Colombia)(Tour Colombia: this is how it went for Rigo, Egan, Nairo and the stars of the race; analysis)
A title with history
Thus, Contreras split the history of the Tour Colombia in two: he is the first rider from a Continental category team to obtain the title that had always been for World Tour riders.
In the stages ending in Santa Rosa de Viterbo and Tunja he made a good difference over his rivals, leaving them 40 seconds behind and dedicated himself to negotiating that distance to achieve the most important victory of his sporting career.
Its beginnings
The La Loma farm, in Villapinzón, Cundinamarca, It was where the new champion grew up, who not only had to deal with getting up early, going to study, coming back and getting to work.
His parentsJosé Contreras and Flor Alba Pinzón, They always instilled discipline in him, so going to plant or pick potatoes and herd cattle were not difficult tasks for Rodrigo who liked cycling, but at that time he did not think about being a cyclist.
At home he is only surpassed in age by his brother José, but he had to shake hands with Sergio Andrés, María Lorena, Juan Sebastián and Víctor, the latter the youngest, with whom today he shares in the cycling team led by Raul Mesa.
Nu, new Colombian team.
Rodrigo was born on June 2, 1994, he helped his parents and worked in a stationery store in his hometown. He graduated from high school at the Normal Superior School of Villapinzón, but in those years mountain biking was his favorite sport, but he liked the route.
No bike
He realized that he did better on the light bicycle and when he turned 11 he got on an iron one that his father bought him. He took his first pedal strokes, but if he wanted to dedicate himself fully to cycling, he had to invest in a good machine. However, the family's resources were not the best.
José gave him a bull and they raffled it off, but the tickets were not sold. They turned to friends and family, who raised four million pesos to buy Rodrigo a decent bicycle. He came into the hands of Serafin Bernalthe forger of talents like Mauricio Soler.
Rodrigo Contreras arrived at the group of Boyacenses and little by little he found a place to settle. He was one of the best youth cyclists on the clock. He joined the Colombia Coldeportes team in 2013, the next year he continued in the same structure until 2015, when he left for the Etixx-Quick Step.
It came out because in the Return to San Luis of 2016 he had to get off the bike after a severe blow to his knee. Although he tried to return as soon as possible, his performance was not the best and his contract was not renewed.
César Melgarejo / EL TIEMPO
He returned to the country. He signed with Coldeportes Zenú and the following year he went to the Mesa awnings with the EPM. He was gold in the Bolivarian Gameswon a stage and the overall the Tour of Tolima, what helped him go to Astana, team of WorldTour. He was there from 2019 to 2021, but he did not obtain great results. He was gregarious and delivered.
He ran the 2020 Giro d'Italia, finishing 110. He returned because, according to him, his employer did not work for him to stay. Mesa received it, and became a bastion. He won the Vuelta al Valle, he was bronze in the national time trial in 2023 and this year he repeated.
Health!
Rodrigo Contreras is married to Marla Sanchezlive in Mosquera, Cundinamarca.
Today he celebrates the third victory of his career after the triumphs in the 2019 Tour of Rwanda stage and the Pan American gold in the 2022 time trial.
He still goes to the La Loma farm, but not to pick potatoes or herd the cattle, he does it
to visit his parents, with whom he celebrated on Carrera 7ª with Calle 34 in Bogota the most important title of his sporting career, 29 years after seeing the light of the world in Villapinzón. Cheers, champion!
(Rodrigo Contreras: the five reasons that gave him the title of the Tour Colombia)
Lisandro Rengifo
EL TIEMPO journalist
@lisandroabel
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