THE SCOUT
Speak with anyone involved in pro cycling about the discovery of young Colombian talent – of young talent in general – and it won’t be long before the name ‘Matxin’ comes up. Full name Joxean Fernández Matxin, the Spaniard turned down a professional contract in his early 20s to go into management, and his career has been marked by a commitment to spotting youngsters and giving them opportunities. He claims to have brought 38 Colombians to Europe, the headline name being Fernando Gaviria.
Matxin has worked for Mapei, SaunierDuval/Geox, and from 2015-2017 he was a scout for Quick-Step, the first dedicated role of its kind in pro cycling. He is now team manager at UAE Emirates but is still very much indulging what is, for him, a “passion” and a “necessary pursuit”.
As for Colombia, “I’m in love with the place,” he says. His work has taken him there on many occasions and he has built an unrivalled network of contacts, taking in the national federation, race organisers, team managers, and the riders. He’ll go to watch junior and U23 races, and when riders come to Europe for the Tour de l’Avenir and U23 Giro, he lends them UAE team resources. He did the same at QuickStep. He calls it collaboration rather than work and points out he doesn’t make a penny from Colombians, but sees it as a key part of his wider vocation.
“You have to know the races, the directors, the riders, and speak directly with them,” he says. “That’s important for the future. When teams ask, ‘Who is this rider?’ I can say, ‘Well I know who he is.’ There are more eyes on Colombia now, but maybe what’s lacking is know-how and knowing when someone is fit for Europe and when they might suffer. This is the error of many teams. They look for talent, but Colombians have a handicap: adapting to Europe. Life is so different. Some go well in Colombia but get to Europe and don’t perform. Their head and heart remain in Colombia.
“I don’t flip the coin. I know what works for riders, and they know me. It is important that when they say they want to spend time in Colombia, you understand why, and help them. When bringing a Colombian to Europe, either you understand and believe in them, or you lose the rider – and, perhaps, the person.”
The “great secret” of Colombian cycling, according to Matxin, is the amount of children wanting to take up the sport. Cyclists are revered like footballers, and nowadays there are more races for the lower age levels, including at national level. Each year more than 600 juniors apply for the Vuelta al Porvenir, but only 200 can qualify. “From the quantity, naturally, comes the quality,” he says.
That said, someone still needs to spot it, and though more attention is being paid to Colombia, Matxin suggests they’re not always looking in the right places. “Gaviria had won races in Colombia in a brutal manner. His talent was clear; I don’t know why the rest of the world didn’t realise,” he says, having already lined up trials at Quick-Step before Gaviria’s breakthrough at the 2015 Tour de San Luis. “A guy who wins national titles, world titles, six races a year, he can sign for whoever, but at that time no one was looking at Colombia, at least not at sprinters like him.”
Two years later, Matxin landed another sprinter in Álvaro Hodeg, a “pure talent” whom he reckons could be as good as Gaviria. He followed him in Colombia before noting that he was “the best rider” at the U23 Worlds in 2016, despite his 12th-place finish. “People look at the result and assume [Kristoffer] Halvorsen is the best, but the winner is not always the best,” he says, no doubt taking a little satisfaction in what has happened since; Team Sky snapped up the Norwegian, but he’s yet to win them a race. Hodeg has already delivered four, two at WorldTour level. “Mark my words,” says Matxin. “Colombia will be top of the UCI nations ranking within three years.”