COLOMB I A GOES CYCLING CRAZY

There’s a video online of fans at the inaugural Colombia Oro y Paz, which at 2.1 level is now the highest ranked race in the South American country. In the clip, a crowd scrambles behind a wire fence, trying to get as close as possible to Fernando Gaviria on the other side. Gaviria takes a phone that’s passed through the fence, turns around, smiles and takes a sel ie, before passing it back, as they continue to call his name. It’s a small glimpse of the kind of excitement that followed the race all week.

Colombia has been crying out for a top-level race. For years their fans have been among the most vocal and dedicated at the Tour, and that turned out to be a taster of the atmosphere we'd see when the race inally came to them. When Gaviria won stage two, the second of three he won in a row, he stood on the podium as hundreds of fans swarmed around the stage to see him, while the roads were a mass of colour, lined multiple people deep every day.

Argentina’s Vuelta San Juan is the only other 2.1-ranked race on the continent that opens the region up to WorldTour teams. Nairo Quintana, Rigoberto Uràn and Gaviria may be the superstars, but there are now 16 Colombian riders in the WorldTour across nine teams, and with such an appetite for racing from the fans, and a history of the sport that goes back decades, it’s surprising it’s taken so long for the UCI to introduce a top level international event. While the calendar is already bursting, if ever more races should be introduced, it’s to places like this where everyone is crying out for more.