Uphill Battle: The Rise and Decline of Colombian Cycling
After conquering cycling's heights, Colombia is losing ground. Late last year, OffMap Media went to cycling cradle Urrao to find out why.
I am riding my mountain bike on smooth pavement that runs over a plateau along a meandering river. I am trying to keep up with the Rigoberto Uran Cycling Club: a dozen teenagers on much lighter road bikes.
Almost every day, these boys from the town of Urrao gather to ride, train, and race in Colombia’s Western Andes. The vibe is relaxed, amicable. While most are here for fun, one kid is dead serious. Jhohan, inspired by the club’s namesake, wants to become Colombia's next best cyclist.
This article was written by Douwe den Held from OffMap Media and is shared with the Sports and Crime Briefing with his kind permission. Douwe den Held and Anastasia Austin are two of the finest journalists in Latin America, cycling their way to the most fascinating locales in the continent and telling the stories of those they meet along the way.
The odds are against him. While his fellow ri…
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