Riders

In the final months of 2011, Mr. Claudio Corti, a team manager with a long past – and successful – experience in professional cycling, flew to Bogota to meet Jario Clopatofsky, General Director of Coldeportes, Colombian institute of Sports – directly connected to the Ministry of Culture – whose mission is to enhance and support sports practice and education in Colombia. Corti was given the leadership of a new “professional” cycling team sponsored by Coldeportes, to become a vehicle for the national identity and the sports passion of Colombia.

Colombia has a great tradition in cycling. Colombian riders wrote unforgettable chapters of the sport’s history, and still are doing it today. In 80s and 90s, a great generation of climbers led Colombia to the top of this sport: it is time to rediscover and enhance this very valuable heritage. Mountain is where the real show of cycling happens, and real climbers are riders cycling always needs: selective routes and mythical climbs are not enough, unless you have climbers with skills and mentality to face them, that makes them capable of providing real emotions. This is what Colombia Coldeportes is bringing to professional cycling, and this is why the team’s claim is “Inspired by climbing”.

The team will be based in Italy. The aim is to transfer the Colombian climbers’ tradition to Old Continent in order to make these riders used to European riding and prepare them to be competitive in the biggest stage-races, like Tour de France the Giro d’Italia.