The well-known Miguel Ángel ‘Supermán’ López, national time trial champion, and one of the most renowned cyclists on the continent, will lead the Colombian team to the Pan American Road Championship, which will host Panama City from April 18 to 23, with the attractive to deliver two direct quotas for the next Olympic Games Paris 2024 and 38 places for the Pan American Games Santiago 2023.
The Colombian Road Team will compete with a list of 25 cyclists, summoned by national coach Carlos Mario Jaramillo, and they will be competing in all modalities: individual time trial and road, in the Elite, Sub-23 and Junior categories, in men, and Elite and Junior, in feminine.
In the elite men’s category, the national team will be made up of the national time trial champion Miguel Ángel López (Team Medellín-EPM); the current IRC Pan American champion, Rodrigo Contreras (Colombia Pact for Sports), and the IRC champion in the Bolivarian and South American Games last season, Walter Vargas (Team Medellín).
Joining them will be Nelson Andrés Soto (Colombia Pact for Sport), Juan Diego Hoyos (Corratec América Racing Team) and Álvaro Hodeg (UAE Team Emirates).
In the elite women’s branch, the team will be led by the double national road champion and 2022 Women’s Vuelta a Colombia champion, Diana Carolina Peñuela (DNA Procycling), who will compete in Panama together with the current CRI Pan American runner-up Lina Marcela Hernández (Colombia Pact for Sport).
The recent national champion of the route in the Under-23 category, Stefanía Sánchez (Eneicat-CM Team América), will also be in the capital of the Isthmus, accompanied by Laura Daniela Rojas (Team Boyacá Avanza), Lina Mabel Rojas (Team Sistecrédito) and Andrea Alzate (Eneicat-CM Team America).
In the Under-23 category, the Colombian National Team will compete with Germán Darío Gómez and William Colorado, from GW Shimano Sidermec; Edwin Alejandro Patiño from the Road Engineering Team; Juan Pablo Sossa from the Ciudad Duitama Cycling School, and Juan José López Quintero from Avinal Carmen del Viboral.
For their part, in the junior categories, Esteban Mejía Morales (Team Sistecrédito), Robinson Quijano (Club I am Champion), Juan David Urián and Johan Steven Rubio (Team Boyacá Avanza), in men, and Angie Mariana Londoño will compete. (Avinal Carmen del Viboral), Juliana Londoño David (FX Cycling Team), Lesly Yulieth Aguirre (Team Boyacá Avanza) and Manuela Cantor Lotero (Mujeres Antioquia Orgullo Paisa), in the female branch.
On Tuesday, April 18, the competitions will open with time trials in the junior categories of both branches, which will be held over 12.8 kilometers in women and 25.6 km in men, and in Elite women (25.6 km), in an activity that will begin at 9:00 a.m. local time.
The Pan American Road Championship will end on Sunday, April 23, with the road test in the Elite men’s category, which will take place over 204.8 kilometers, for a total of 16 laps.
Roster of the Colombian National Team for the Pan American Road Championship Panama City 2023
Elite Male
Miguel Ángel López (Team Medellín) CRI and Route
Rodrigo Contreras (Colombia Pact for Sport) CRI and Route
Walter Vargas (Team Medellin)
Nelson Andrés Soto (Colombia Pact for Sport)
Juan Diego Hoyos (Corratec America Racing Team)
Alvaro Hodeg (UAE Team Emirates)
female elite
Diana Carolina Peñuela (DNA Procycling) CRI and Route
Lina Marcela Hernández (Colombia Pact for Sport) CRI and Route
Stefanía Sánchez (Eneicat-CM Team America)
Laura Daniela Rojas (Team Boyacá Avanza)
Lina Mabel Rojas (Team Sistecredito)
Andrea Alzate (Eneicat-CM Team America)
Under-23
Germán Darío Gómez (GW Shimano Sidermec) CRI and Route
Juan José López Quintero (Avinal Carmen del Viboral) CRI and Route
William Colorado (GW Shimano Sidermec)
Edwin Alejandro Patiño (Road Engineering Team)
Juan Pablo Sossa (Duitama City Cycling School)
Junior Male
Esteban Mejía Morales (Team Sistecrédito) CRI and Route
Robinson Quijano (Colombia Talents Mindeporte – Strongman Bicycles) CRI and Route
Juan David Urián (Team Boyacá Avanza)
Johan Steven Rubio (Team Boyacá Avanza)
junior female
Angie Mariana Londoño (Avinal Carmen del Viboral) CRI and Route
Juliana Londoño David (FX Cycling Team) CRI and Route
Lesly Yulieth Aguirre (Team Boyacá Avanza)
Manuela Cantor Lotero (Women Antioquia Pride Paisa)
Colombia National Team Coaches: Carlos Mario Jaramillo and Andrés Torres
*With information from Fedeciclismo