For Colombia's most beloved cyclist, winning isn't the point
Rigoberto Urán has never won the Tour de France or Olympics gold. But he's still a superstar. "I think lots of people identify with me because they want to win but don't quite make it," he says.
GIRARDOT, Colombia — The crowd roared as Rigoberto Urán took the stage last month at Latin America's largest amateur bike event. The Colombian cyclist universally known as "Rigo" started his namesake race, the Giro de Rigo, in 2018. It now draws hordes of cyclists from around the world.
In fact, there were so many riders in this year's Giro de Rigo — more than 5,000 — that once the race began near the central Colombian town of Girardot, it took about 30 minutes for all of the cyclists to move out of the starting gate.
