Historic results: Miguel Ángel López prevails in the Tour of Colombia 2023

The Tour of Colombia is one of the most emblematic and prestigious cycling competitions in the country. Since its first edition, in 1951, this race has captured the attention of sports fans and has left an indelible mark on the history of national cycling. Over the years it has positioned itself, and today it is the scene of exciting battles, epic feats and serves as a platform for the emergence of world-class Colombian talents, in order to project them in their profession. This year was no exception and left us historical facts and figures for the country's sport.

History of the Tour of Colombia

The first Tour of Colombia was held on February 8, 1951, with the participation of 47 riders. The race route covered a total distance of 1,285 kilometers, divided into 14 stages. The winner of that inaugural edition was Efraín 'El Zipa' Forero, who became the first winner of the contest and left his name engraved in the history of Colombian cycling.

Since then, the Tour of Colombia has grown exponentially in popularity and prestige. The race faced various challenges over the years, but managed to remain one of the biggest sporting events in the country. During each edition, the cyclists face mountainous terrain, extreme heights and difficult weather conditions, which adds excitement and difficulty to the competition.

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Results of the Tour of Colombia, 2023

The Tour of Colombia, in its 73rd version, toured several departments of the country (Tolima, Antioquia, Casanare, Cundinamarca, Boyacá, Risaralda and Caldas) more than 164 world elite cyclists left blood and sweat along 1,411 km through the Colombian highways. Some names that we can highlight are: Miguel Ángel López, Óscar Sevilla and Fabio Duarte, among others. But the 'performance' of “Superman López” was historic, since he was 6' “17” ahead of Rodrigo Contreras and with this time (33:42:13) it was more than enough to leave as the great victor of this anus. López, with an incredible record, won 8 of the 9 stages played, something never seen on this tour.

The native of Pesca, Boyacá, also wore the points shirt, as he got 134 points, while Wilson Peña (second) only got 58 points. The member of the EPM Medellín 'team' gave cycling classes to all of Colombia and delighted the public, also being a mountain champion (45 points) and defeated Robinson Ortega (35 points).

The Best Foreigner

The winner as the best foreigner was the Spanish Oscar Seville, 46 years old, also from “EPM Medellín”. He managed to snatch the award from José Ramón Muñiz and 19 other international riders who ran in search of this achievement. The Tour of Colombia came to an end in the municipality of La Ceja, in the department of Antioquia. Meanwhile, the country was the spectator of a great event, which year after year, has a better level and better cyclists. This gives Colombians and those who are beginning to grow in the sport an incentive for effort and professionalism that allows them to show the world why cycling and Colombian cyclists are so important and have achieved so much recognition in races worldwide. 

With these outstanding results, the Tour of Colombia is once again positioned as one of the most significant cycling competitions in the world. This is an aspect that could be essential for this championship to regain the importance it had a few decades ago.