Rigoberto Urán is one of the great representatives of Colombian cycling worldwide and at the age of 36 he is competing in his tenth Tour de France. Although things have not gone entirely well for him and his EF Education EasyPost team, the cyclist remains optimistic for the last week of competition.
After the time trial of the sixteenth stage of the Grande Boucle, Urán did not push himself too hard and crossed the finish line with a time of 40:04 and marked a difference of 7:28″ with the winner of the day, the Danish Jonas Vingragaard, who prevailed forcefully and widened his difference in the general classification.
The Colombian rider rose one place in the general classification and was placed in box 77, more than three hours behind the wearer of the yellow jersey. Once he completed the route, the Urrao cyclist spoke to the press and there he took stock of the race, which has been his participation and he even took the opportunity to send a message to the government of Gustavo Petro.
“Cycling has given me everything, it has given me many things, I do it with great respect. The truth is that I did not know, if I knew that I was going to feel so bad in the Tour I would not have come. A week before starting I was in the Tour of Switzerland and I had good feelings, at home too and we came with great enthusiasm, ”he said in an interview with ESPN.
Although the participation of the Colombian runner has not been the most outstanding in this edition, he stated that for now he is being “realistic, without dreaming much and with his feet on the ground (…) You have seen reality, even suffering in the group . On Sunday I got into the break and a son of a bitch fell in front of me; fallen and sick, but nothing happens, we get up and continue fighting.
Rigoberto Urán’s Concern for Colombian Cycling
Although for now everything seems to indicate that he still has one or two more participations in the Tour de France, the one from Urrao has highlighted what he has done so far, although he has had to compete with very young cyclists and who have been protagonists like Jonas Vingegaard himself. (26 years old) and Tadej Pogacar (24 years old).
“They are the last Tour de France that I have left and for me it is a blessing to be here. I know that people want you to give your best, but sometimes your health, your age, a fool, a number of things, I’m competing with my children. My son Matías is 12 and these bald ones are 18″, assured the one from Urrao on ESPN.
Due to the enormous level that many European runners have shown and that have prevented Colombian cyclists from standing out, Rigo stated that this is because there is currently “an evolved cycling” and for this reason it is key that children change the way they train and begin to prepare for the future, “if we are not too far away. These peels are incredible”.
Rigoberto Urán took the opportunity to send a message to the national government and highlighted the importance of investing in sport. For the cyclist, the most important thing is to start “working a little more” with the aim of improving and that this is evident in his jump to elite cycling.
“One of the things is the investment of the Government, that the boys can be in Europe because it is here where they realize what level they are at. In order to improve, you have to be with the good ones and you know how good or how bad you are in this type of race and I am speaking from the lower categories ”, he assured.
Rigoberto Urán was blunt in pointing out that a 20-year-old cyclist “is no longer good for anything”, because if at that age he has not yet been able to make the leap to Europe, he is already left, because his main rivals are already competing in the Tour from France. “There is material, but that is in the regions, a lot of social investment is needed, but our countries have many economic problems, sometimes the resources do not reach their final destination and a lot of talent is lost, but it can be done.” with Infobae