When Rigoburto Urán, team leader for one of the top pro cycling teams in the world, invites friends over for a Colombian Sunday coffee ride at El Giro de Rigo gran fondo, everyone shows up, including 2019 Tour de France winner Egan Bernal.
Oh, and Alberto Contador who won two editions of the Tour of Italy (2008 and 2015), two of the Tour de France (2007 and 2009) and three of the Tour of Spain (2008, 2012 and 2014).
Plus a few other cycling stars – Ivan Basso, Esteban Chavez, Lucho Herrera, Víctor Peña and Urán’s EF Education First teammates Dani Martínez, Sergio Higuita and Sergio Henao.
Along with 1250 gran fondo riders, the stars rode 140km through Colombia’s mountainous coffee region to show support for Urán after he was forced to abandon the 2019 Vuelta a España due to a horrible crash.
Urán did not ride since he is still healing fractures of his left clavicle, shoulder blade and ribs that he sustained in the crash. Nonetheless, he waited at the finish to cheer every gran fondo rider across the line.
Alberto Contador also skipped the gran fondo after he was admitted to a hospital in Bogotá to receive treatment for food poisoning.
David Gutierrez won the 140km gran fondo in 3:54:54, with David Esteban and Antonio Donado completing the podium.
Alejandra Chain Villamil won the women’s gran fondo in 4:36:32, followed closely Laura Vanessa Serna Mejia and Ana Maria Rio Pinillo.
GFDN Worldwide Gran Fondo Calendar
GRAN FONDO DAILY NEWS 