EF cycling finished in a 1-2 on the last day to confirm the victory for Sergio Higuita in the six-day race
In a thrilling finish to the Tour Colombia UCI 2.1, Sergio Higuita was pipped to the post by teammate Daniel Martínez. Martínez might have taken the glory on the race’s queen stage, but Higuita won the General Classification and will have an orange jersey to hang up in his spare room. Their positions there were exactly reversed, as Martínez finished second in the GC. Jonathan Caicedo took the final podium position as EF controlled the six-day race from start to finish.
Best of the rest was reigning Tour de France yellow jersey Egan Bernal, finishing third on the day and fourth overall. Good placing from the tyro that lit up last year’s Tour Colombia, but he’ll likely be disappointed not to have tasted glory on home roads. Esteban Chaves placed seventh in the overall rankings as the top ten was dominated by Colombians. Torstein Traeen was the highest placed non-Andean at 9th, 3’19” off Higuita’s pace.
What has happened in the Tour Colombia 2.1 this year?
On the stage itself, half the top ten were from local teams, with Medellín’s Robinson Chalapud finishing within a minute of the leaders. Impressive riding from the second-division pro. By the time the riders started the final ascent, the field had fractured violently, with no peloton to speak of and a rag-tag collection of groups making their own way through the course. The damage was done at spots well-known to local cycling aficionados such as the Alto de Arepas, the Alto de Cable and of course Los Patios.
While the race has been fairly disappointing this year, with a few tedious turns up and down the autopista, today’s stage surely counts as a huge success. The field was tested by some serious climbs and the turnout of fans was immense. Séptima was crowded and the road was lined with spectators all the way to the start of the páramo at Verjón’s finish. Let’s hope for more of the same, and let’s see how many people lost their Strava records on local climbs today!
