Thanks to its Spanish inheritance and many mountains, Colombia may have produced more
great bicycle racers per capita than any other nation outside of Europe. Until Jan. 31, the
Archivo de Bogotá has an exhibition about Colombian bicycle racing, its heroes and the epic
Vuelta a Colombia. In Colombia, bike racing really rates, and may be the second most popular pro sport after
futbol (soccer)
.
The
Vuelta a Colombia is shorter than the
Tour de France, but its passes are higher, making it one of the most demanding bicycle stage races in the world.
 |
| Vuelta Champs of Yesteryear |
Perhaps thanks to Colombia's many mountains, the country has produced many great climbers. In fact, since 1985 four of the Tour de France's
King of the Mountains title holders have been Colombian, the last two being
Santiago Botero and
Mauricio Soler.
 |
| Santiago Botero overlooking a classic bicycle |
Probably my favorite aspect of the exhibition was the look at a time when the races seemed
more epic, the sport
more innocent and every victory wasn't tainted by
doping accusations. And remember those sleak, elegant bikes with
Campagnolo components, made by
Italian craftsmen steeped in cycling tradition, rather than some factory in East Asia, where the workers couldn't care less whether they were making parts for boats, planes or bicycles.
 |
| Ramón Hoyos Vallejo, winner of the third Vuelta, got the girl. |
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| Slogging up a hill in the 1961 Vuelta. |
Juan Pachon and Miguel Samaca, riders from other eras, now compete in sales on Carrera 13.
By Mike Ceaser, of
Bogotá Bike Tours
