The 2nd edition of the Tour Colombia or Tour Colombia 2.1 will be held between February 12 and 17, starting with a team time trial in the city of Medellín and ending at the Alto de Las Palmas in the department of Antioquia.
The route consists of 6 stages in a total distance of 826.4 km . 29 teams and 174 cyclists will be the protagonists of the second edition of the most important race in the country and Latin America.
We will have the opportunity to see in action the Colombian cyclists Rigoberto Urán (EF Education First), Sergio Luis Henao (Team Emirates), Sebastian Henao (Team Sky) and Fernando Gaviria (Team Emirates). Nairo Quintana and Winner Anacona (Movistar Team), Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana), Daniel Martinez (EF Drapac), Alvaro Hodeg (Deceuninck Quick Step Team), Jarlinson Pantano (Colombia Selection Manzana Postobon), Egan Bernal who will come back to Colombia with Team Sky, Sebastián Molano and Cristian Muñoz (Team Emirates); Rodrigo Contreras and Hernando Bohórquez (Astana); Sergio Higuita (EF Drapac) and Iván Sosa (Team Sky).
Excellent initiative to make the Tour Colombia, for the international merits in this sport and for the unique Colombian topography, which is part of no small weight of the reason of respectability of Colombian cycling. But deplorable traces chosen, once again, the Colombian leadership below the opportunities; sections of roads of third category, flat and in regular conditions of maintenance, with several steps of the caravan.
Could it be that in Antioquia there are no other paths that motivate a competition more in line with the world expectation that would generate a 2.1 in Colombia? That we know the height of Mines is still in the same place and if they do not want to use other departments, it could have been Jericó-Medellín going around La Pintada; a counter-clock to Santa Elena is not an outburst; an incursion by Don Matías would have been interesting; Medellín-Marinilla-Rionegro-La Unión would be a good stage and also cuts with two average slopes. For a plane route it is much better to return to the Netherlands or Portugal.
Interesting competition, beyond its location in the calendar or route, is first and foremost a competition of great performance for the quality and level of the riders that participate in it. It was time for the Colombian Cycling Federation itself to allow a high-altitude event to take place, because in Colombia there are few, notwithstanding the excellent cycling that Colombia has offered to this sport in the most important and traditional races in the world. , did not have a high level competition, which would bring together the best of cycling worldwide.
In terms of routes, as we progress and improve every day the level of this race, we can surely taste it in other important geographies of Colombia, so bad in this regard.
This tour will serve to finally the Colombians realize that it is time to improve in the federation, so that future careers are in line with the Colombian cycling, hobby and cyclist
On the other hand, it must be taken into account that it is the beginning of the season. The stages of the UCI world tour races in January and February, at the most are two mountain stages for being the start of the season, for example Tour Down Under and UAE Tour, we can not ask for 4 mountain stages in a race of a week, remember that first-class sprinters also come. If the federation decides to put a lot of mountain, more than one cyclist would retire to avoid injuries and bad start of the season.
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