In a spectacular battle of climbers, Yesid Pira (Alcaldía de Manizales-100 huevos-Gobernación de Caldas) won the eighth stage of the 74th edition of the Tour of Colombia, which took place over 144.3 kilometers between Supía and Alto de Minas, one of the hardest mountain passes in the country and the world.
The rider from Boyaca, 24 years old, won the fraction after 3 hours, 42 minutes and 29 seconds. In second place was leader Rodrigo Contreras (Nu Colombia) at 2 seconds and third was Wilson Peña (Team Sistecrédito) at 40 seconds.
The breakaway of the day was led by Bernardo Suaza (Forte Petrolike – Androni Giocattoli), Alejandro Osorio (GW Erco Shimano), Daniel Arroyave (GW Erco Shimano), Mateo López (Movistar Best PC), Juan Felipe Osorio (Orgullo Paisa), Camilo Castiblanco (Pío Rico), Estiven García (Avinal-Alcaldía El Carmen De Viboral), Carlos Gutiérrez (Team Orígenes Coffee), Juan Pablo Vallejo (Alcaldía de Manizales-100 huevos), Yonathan Castro (Fundecom) and Yimi Durán (Alcaldía de Sogamoso), however, in the hardest part of the climb the breakaway was disintegrating.
In the final stretch to the Alto de Letras, Carlos Gutiérrez (Team Orígenes Coffee), Alejandro Osorio (GW Erco Shimano), Bernardo Suaza (Forte Petrolike – Androni Giocattoli) and Estiven García (Avinal-Alcaldía El Carmen De Viboral) took the lead. The quartet worked together until the favorites neutralized them.
In the last 10 kilometers the men of the Mexican Petrolike team set a very high pace that further selected the group of the ‘Gallos de la General’, which left less than 10 riders at the head of the race.
With 5 kilometers to go, the leader Rodrigo Contreras (Nu Colombia) counterattacked, taking Javier Jamaica (Team Medellín-EPM) and Yesid Pira (Alcaldía de Manizales-100 huevos) on his wheel, who in the end was the one who had more strength to take a great victory.
The Colombian round will end this Sunday with an individual time trial of 17.3 kilometers in mountainous terrain starting from the EPM Intelligent Building in Medellin and finishing at Alto de Las Palmas, where we will know the successor of Miguel Angel ‘Superman’ Lopez, last year’s champion.
Tour of Colombia (2.2)
Results Stage 8 | Supía – Alto de Minas (144,3 km)
| 1 | Yesid Pira | Alcaldía de Manizales – 100% Huevos | 3:42:29 |
| 2 | Rodrigo Contreras | Nu Colombia | 0:02 |
| 3 | Wilson Peña | Team Sistecrédito | 0:40 |
| 4 | Javier Jamaica | Team Medellín-EPM | 0:41 |
| 5 | Diego Camargo | Forte Petrolike – Androni Giocattoli | ,, |
| 6 | Cristian Rico | Forte Petrolike – Androni Giocattoli | 1:33 |
| 7 | José Misael Urián | Team Sistecrédito | 1:50 |
| 8 | Rafael Pineda | Nu Colombia | 2:09 |
| 9 | Robinson López | GW Erco Shimano | 2:12 |
| 10 | Alejandro Osorio | GW Erco Shimano | 2:43 |
Ranking General
| 1 | Rodrigo Contreras | Nu Colombia | 30:54:41 |
| 2 | Wilson Peña | Team Sistecrédito | 1:36 |
| 3 | Diego Camargo | Forte Petrolike – Androni Giocattoli | 1:54 |
| 4 | Javier Jamaica | Team Medellín-EPM | 3:16 |
| 5 | Yesid Pira | Alcaldía de Manizales – 100% Huevos | 3:56 |
| 6 | Robinson López | GW Erco Shimano | 5:05 |
| 7 | Cristian Rico | Forte Petrolike – Androni Giocattoli | 5:06 |
| 8 | Adrián Bustamante | GW Erco Shimano | 5:49 |
| 9 | David Cadena | Forte Petrolike – Androni Giocattoli | 7:01 |
| 10 | José Misael Urián | Team Sistecrédito | 7:45 |