Left: Helenita "La Ronca de Oro" Vargas. Right: Carlos "La Ronca" Betancur.
A couple of days ago I ran into an interview with Carlos Betancur in a Colombian magazine where they flat out ask him which nickname he likes better "Bam Bam," "Bananito," or "La Ronca." Betancur says he doesn't know why Bananito became so popular, but in cycling he's always been known as La Ronca, and that's the nickname he prefers.
Who am I to argue? La Ronca it is. But what does La Ronca mean?
The word ronco as an adjective means hoarse. The verb roncar means to snore. As a noun the word means the hoarse, throaty, or the raspy one. The -a ending means that the noun refers to a female. So, literally it means "the woman with the raspy voice."
The nickname comes from his throaty voice and how it sounds like a very famous and beloved Colombian singer from the 60s and 70s named Helenita Vargas. Her throaty voice earned her the nickname La Ronca de Oro. She had a very long and successful career singing everything from boleros and racheras to tangos and baladas. Helenita died, age 76, in 2011.
Below I compare Las Roncas for your reading entertainment. It should become apparent very quickly that their nickname is the only thing they have in common.
Helenita "La Ronca de Oro" Vargas
Full Name:
Sofia Helena Vargas Marulanda
Date of birth:
March 3, 1934
Place of birth:
Cali, Colombia
Known for:
Her beautiful, romantic, yet raspy voice
Career Highlight:
Her collaboration with legendary Nicaraguan composer Carlos Mejía Godoy in the 1970s, to record her greatest hit "María de los Guardias"
Liked by:
My gramma and her sister
Carlos "La Ronca" Betancur
Full Name:
Carlos Alberto Betancur Gomez
Date of birth:
October 13, 1989 Place of birth
Ciudad Bolívar, Colombia
Known for:
Having braces well into his 20s
Career Highlight:
Winning the Young Riders classification in the 2013 Giro d'Italia
Liked by:
My brother and I
So, there you have it. Same nickname, two totally different Colombian celebrities. In case you want to compare the voices, here's two videos for you to watch. One is from 1979, the other from 2013. Enjoy!
This image pretty much sums up this year's Giro. Nibali, awesome stage finishes, horrible weather.
I know this post is about 3 days too late, but for what it's worth, here's my final thoughts on an excellent and very exciting 2013 Giro d'Italia.
The Good
Vincenzo Nibali
"Of course!" you are thinking right now, "He won the race!" Well, yeah, but the way he won it was pure, 100% class. Nibali has emerged, not only as a real Italian contender for Grand Tours (unlike Basso, Scarponi, Di Luca, Cunego, etc), but he has shown that he can attack, that he can lead a team, and that when he's in good form no one can beat him. He won the Pink Jersey and he got a truckload of confidence for himself, his team and for the Italian tifiosi.
Italy
Not only did Italy host of the best Grand Tours in recent history, but an Italian won it. To top it off there were seven Italian stage winners (only four last year), four Italians in the top ten and and Italian KOM. Besides that, Italians should be very happy with the future of the sport. A lot of talented young riders showed themselves during the three weeks; Francesco Bongiorno, Fabio Felline, Diego Rosa, Fabio Aru, and Stefano Pirazzi, just name a few. Add to that Gianluca Brambilla, Diego Ulissi, and Damiano Caruso and you have a whole lot of young talent coming our way.
I wonder if the RAI graphics dudes had to order more Italian and Colombian flags 'cuz they ran out half way through
Colombia
I don't want to come off as a super-patriot
(again), or bore you with the details of how amazing this Giro has been
for Colombia. I'll just say that I saw more Colombian flags on the
RAI graphics this Giro than I had in the last five Grand Tours combined. In the end, there were two Colombians in the GC top
10, two in the Points, four in the KOM, and three in the Young Riders
classification. There was one stage win, plenty of seconds and thirds. I'm more
than satisfied.
The Wild Card Teams
I mentioned them in a post a few days back. Team Colombia, Bardiani Valvole, Vini Fantini and Androni Giocattoli all played key roles throughout the race. Bardiani and Vini Fantini shined especially bright with stage wins by Enrico Battaglin and Mauro Santambrogio.
Mark Cavendish and Omega Pharma-Quick Step
No one can argue that Mark Cavendish is the best sprinter in the world. Five stages in a Grand Tour is an amazing feat. Now, add to that the fact that, before the Giro started no one thought that OPQS were up to the challenge of getting Cav to the finish line. Well, they came through. Great team effort.
Sky
The team had to reinvent itself after Sir Wigg-a-lot left the race, but they did just that and they turned out to be a very strong team, even winning the Team Classification.
Movistar
Four stage wins and Beñat Intxausti a solid eighth in the final GC. I doubt they were expecting anything like this, but I'm sure Unzue is a happy, happy camper.
Carlos "Bananito*" Betancur
I know I had a whole dilly about the Colombians up there, but Betancur's Giro was so amazing, he deserves to be called out. Wow, this kid has balls... and legs. I said it before, this kid is Colombia's best chance for a rainbow jersey.
__________ * Thanks to Natalia for bringing up to my attention that Betancur prefers the nick name "La Ronca."
The Bad
FDJ
Wait, were they even in the race? I thought I saw Nacer Bouhanni there for like two minutes and then he was gone. Weird.
Ryder Hesjedal
Ryder started the Giro with style by attacking the first chance he got, but ran out of gas quickly and the defending champ left me wanting more. At least Ramūnas Navardauskas saved the Giro for Garmin-Sharp. He celebrated twice, but only won once.
Sir Wigg-a-Lot
After all the talk and all he did was nothing. At least Hesjedal tried, dude.
The Weather
Of course I love racing in bad weather, but when it's so bad, that they have to re-route stages and even cancel them? Screw that.
Declan Quigley's Attempt at Pronouncing Names
Where was Robert Hatch, dammit!?
The Ugly
Danilo Di Luca
Seriously, dude? Go fuck yourself.
The Plastic Barbie Throne
WTF was that? Seriously, Italy, WTF was that??
Giro Ken sits on his Barbie Throne
Fabio Baldato
As ugly as ever.
Turns out Fabio Baldato has a doppelganger, too: Actor Tom Savini
Baseball Hate Galore
Horrible. Tasteless. Lame.
Everyone in this picture (and their suppliers) should be ashamed of themselves
I'm feeling pretty lazy this morning. I went to see Ghost live last night, so I'm tired and a little hung over. Therefore, I don't feel like searching through stats to see if Betancur finishing second AGAIN is some sort of record. It must be. This kid was second on stage 9, stage 10, third on stage 14 and again second today. He took over the White Jersey, too. Bananito is making moves. Also of note, Fabio Duarte finally showing his face coming in fifth.
I've made it perfectly clear before that I hate it when riders neutralize a race. I understand if it's done out of respect, like the stage after Wouter Weylandt's death in 2011, but when it's done in the name of "safety," that's just silly. A race is a race and if you feel that the conditions are unsafe, then YOU slow down and let the guys with bigger balls than you beat you. These guys are professionals and are being paid to RACE. If some sort of deal is struck between some of the teams and they decide not to race, fine, BUT insulting a rider who decides to do what all of them are there to do, is unacceptable and it hurts our sport.
Ballsy performance by the three-time Italian champion
What can I say about Visconti's ride today? Snow, cold, Galibier, tears... Dare I say "epic"?
I sent a special thanks to Rapha for supplying Sky with real cycling caps, today I wanna thank the organizers of the race for making the stage happen.
Randomness:
- Mario Cipollini mention counter: 5 - Helmet talk counter: 14 - Euskaltel guys on the deck counter: 3 - Stage winner wearing Cycling cap: 1 (Uran) Baseball hat: 10 No hat:1 Visor: 1
No doubt that RCS Sport has chosen four great wild card teams
Right off the bat, let me say that I'm not going to address the doping stories. Who really cares?
Not to take away from Navardauskas and Oss' efforts, today's stage was a pretty predictable affair. The breakaway succeeded and other than Intxausti's dig, getting him into the top 10, the favorites were happy to sit back and let the legs rest for a day.
I'm gonna take this "slow day" to talk about the great job the wild card teams are doing in this Giro so far. Let's take the KOM classification as an example. Right now the top three riders are all from wild card teams.
- Bardiani Valvole are having a great race. Enrico Battaglin got the team to a great start by winning stage 4. He almost made it two in stage 7, where he came in second. Pirazzi has also looked very strong all week fighting for the Blue Jersey.
- Vini Fantini, meanwhile, came in a respectable 5th in the TTT. They have Mauro Santambrogio, in the top 10 and DiLuca has shown good form and has been a definite protagonist throughout.
- Androni have also been mixing it up in the breakaways and attacks with Rodriguez, Rubiano, Sella, Gavazzi and Italian Champion Pellizotti. And let's not forget that Felline was second in stage 4.
- Understandably, Acquarone wants Italian teams in their home race, so these three Italian squads were pretty much guaranteed an invite. But the fourth wild card went to Team Colombia. Sure, having an Italian manager (Claudio Corti) and being headquartered in Italy helped them get into the Giro, but this team didn't bring a single Italian in its ranks, so their spot was far from certain.. Still, they have earned the invite. Duque, Chalapud and Quintero have shown their faces quite a bit on TV. Pantano had a great stage 9 finishing third. Duarte and Atapuma seem to be talking it easy, but will most likely let lose in the last week.
If you compare what these four teams have shown and compare it to Vacansoleil, Euskaltel, Orica or FDJ I think you'll agree that they have plenty to celebrate so far. Bravo!
Vini Fantini have shown what they can do
Randomness:
- Mario Cipollini mention counter: 3 - Helmet talk counter: 11 - Euskaltel guys on the deck counter: 3 - Stage winner wearing cycling cap / baseball hat / no hat counter:1 / 9 / 1
Uran proudly wearing the Colombian flag and a cycling cap
Wow. I don't know where to start. Another great day for Colombian cycling. Uran and Betancur had amazing performances. Team Colombia and the other Colombians didn't do too well, but I'll happily take the one-two.
Final results of stage 10. The Colombian tricolor way up there, twice
Sky took over the pace-setting pretty early in the stage on the climb to the Passo Cason di Lanza. Was that a good idea? I guess depends on who you ask. Henao and Wiggo were in trouble, but Uran went on to win the stage. Is Uran the leader for Sky? Well, he told RAI (in excellent Italian, to my surprise) that Wiggins and Henao are still strong and that now Sky will have two leaders. He added that he recuperated better during the rest day than Wiggins. I don't know, the Englishman did not look good to me, but we will have to wait and see. I would not be the SkullKrusher if I didn't point out, once again, that if Uran wouldn't have been asked to wait for Wiggins on Friday, he'd be 2nd in the GC 26" behind Nibali.
AG2R are also having a great Giro. Pozzovivo and Betancur played the one-two punch perfectly up the last climb. That's two second places for Betancur in this Giro and he continues to crawl his way up the Maglia Bianca classification. AG2R has to be very happy with their two new signings. Maybe Mike Spriggs has the right idea with buying their jersey and putting it in the freezer for future enjoyment.
Mike's real refrigerator with a real AG2R jersey in it
On the other side of the spectrum, Hesjedal lost contact with 54k to go and finished over 20 minutes down. Needless to say his Giro is over. What a shame. He looked very racey at the beginning of the race last week.
How many times have I said "keep an eye on Evans"? This is the last time I say it, because everyone now realizes I was right all along.
Finally, a special and heartfelt THANK YOU to Rapha for remembering that the Giro is a cycling race and not a baseball game. Rapha (yes, I'm kissing their ass) provides Team Sky with cycling caps and it was very nice to see Uran not only wearing a cycling cap on the podium, but a winter cycling cap. Thank you Rapha!
Uran answering question in Italian wearing a proper Rapha cycling cap
Randomness:
- Mario Cipollini mention counter: 3 - Helmet talk counter: 10 - Euskaltel guys on the deck counter: 3 - Stage winner wearing cycling cap / baseball hat / no hat counter:1 / 8 / 1 (Finally!)
Once again, the Giro didn't disappoint. Today's stage was full of drama, attacks, and Colombians on bikes. The type of stage I love. That's why I'm so pissed I missed it. The GF guilt-tripped me into going to a flea market. It turned out to be pretty cool, but I had to enjoy a Colombian 2-3 (including Betancur's awesome attack) via twitter. Fortunately I also missed his celebration as he thought he'd won and the stage. I feel sorry for the riders when that happens.
Also saw that Evans finished an impressive 5th. I keep telling you people, keep an eye on the 2011 Tour de France winner.
What I did get to see live was pretty exciting, tho. Chalapud and Pirazzi going head to head for the KOM points the way that classification should always be fought for. Great cycling. In the last 15 years so much emphasis has been put on the points classification (especially the Green Jersey at the Tour), that it's nice to see people fighting for what I consider to be a way better jersey. I trust the battle for the Maglia Azzurra will continue to be this awesome. As it stands right now Stefano Pirazzi leads with 38 points and Robinson Chalapud is second with 23. Visconti drops to third with 16. If Team Colombia is serious about pursuing this jersey, they'll have to get Chalapud or Pantano in the breakaway Tuesday and hope to cross the Passo del Cason di Lanza in first place. I'm sure Bardiani know this and will also try to get in there. Tuesday is going to be a great stage from the get go.
Colombian Conspiracy (aka Wiggo needs to grow some balls)
What is going on with this dude? He looks scared to ride fast. I know the streets were wet and it was dangerous, but if you can't take the heat, get out of cycling. Fortunately, this time Henao and Uran stayed in the main group. I'm guessing they where told to do so, but who knows. Maybe they decided on their own and who could blame them.
Tomorrow we get to sleep in (in the US...if you don't have a job), but Tuesday will be the first real test of legs and guess what? My prediction is that Sir Wigg-a-lot is gonna crack.
See yous then.
Randomness:
- Mario Cipollini mention counter: 3 - Helmet talk counter: 10 - Euskaltel guys on the deck counter: 3 - Stage winner wearing cycling cap / baseball hat / no hat counter: 0 / 8 / 1 (STILL ridiculous)
Hey, everybody, I found a $14,000 bike in the gutter!
By now you know how I feel about TTs. I watched the stage on while cleaning Mr. Beechcroft's cage, so this will be a predictably short post.
I may have been scrubbing hamster poop off plastic tubes, but don't think for a second that I missed Wiggo throwing his Graal around like it was a Dogma.
"Bloody hell, I love throwing bikes about, mate!"
I also caught a peek of Henao and Kelderman riding the TT like it was a breakaway. Tsk tsk, gentlemen...
Elbow flick?
The Colombian Conspiracy
I did some quick math here and figured out that if Uran and Henao would have finished in the front group yesterday (like they should have), Henao would be 2nd in the GC, at 38 seconds form Nibali, and Uran would be 3rd at 1:13. Make of those numbers what you will, but personally, I think Sky threw away a chance to have a 2 or 3 prong attack heading into the big mountains tomorrow.
Tomorrow is gonna rule. I'm cheering for Evans.
Randomness:
- Mario Cipollini mention counter: 3 - Helmet talk counter: 10 - Euskaltel guys on the deck counter: 3 (crazy low, if you ask me) - Stage winner wearing cycling cap / baseball hat / no hat counter: 0 / 7 / 1 (ridiculous)
Yet another stage come and gone. It was a tough parcourse the whole way, making it possible for the break to make it, and I'm very happy for Adam Hansen. As I've said a few times before I met his mother and interviewed her for the podcast a few years back and she was such a nice lady I have become something of a Hansen family fan. Good for them!
Apparently Declan Quigley and I are besties on Twitter and he mentioned one of my tweets talking about not all Colombians being climbers on the air. Yeah, I'm a big deal.
I lost count of how many guys went down, but I can tell you that not a one (of the ones on TV) was an Euskaltel-Euskadi rider. Even Nibali, obviously bored, decided to go for a fun slide.
"Weeeeeeeeee!"
Evens came in 6th, once again and quietly, under the radar, he's now 6th in the GC. We'll have to wait to see how tomorrow goes for him, but I still think Evans is one to watch.
On to the most important topic of the day: What a mess Sky made of the stage. I was VERY angry, not only that Uran was asked to go back to help Wiggins, but that the Brit wasn't even trying. He looked like he didn't wanna ride. So, why ask a guy in second place on the GC to come back and help you go down at 5mph? If Uran would have stayed in the front group he would be in pink right now instead of Intxausti, taking a lot of weight off Wiggo's shoulders. I simply do not get it. Maybe it is time for a real Colombian conspiracy.
Randomness:
- Mario Cipollini mention counter: 3 - Helmet talk counter: 9 - Euskaltel guys on the deck counter: 3 - Stage winner wearing cycling cap / baseball hat / no hat counter: 0 / 6 / 1
Two less than normal "sprint finishes" in a row. Degenkolb takes the win, but unfortunately wearing a baseball hat on the podium and sporting a mustache, he looks more like an incestuous NASCAR fan than a cyclinst. Shame on you, John. Shame on you, Argos/Shimano. Shame on you, Pearl Izumi.
Before the riders arrived in Matera, however, the town looked like a scene from Waterworld. Interesting to hear Sean Kelly suggest that today's cyclists aren't as tough as they used to be when it comes to weather conditions. Don't worry, Sean, we know. These prima donnas seems to be made out of sugar these days.
Weird to see Cavendish look human today. I felt bad for him. He looked like me going up that 4th category climb, weaving around all over the road. I was actually cheering for him to make it back to the main group. Not it would have mattered as everyone went down to take a nap on the last corner. Especially cruel (from my point of view) was De Kort taking out Colombian sprinter Leo Duque. He was in a great position and could have had a great sprint. Fellow Team Colombia rider Jarlinson Pantano managed to come in 6th in the chaotic finish.
Does anyone really think that there's a "Colombian Conspiracy" between Uran and Henao to take the Giro away from Wiggins? Italian press (not the most reliable of sources, let's remember), have been talking about just that. Well, today Uran had a flat with about 6kms to go and Henao didn't as much as look back and ended up fourth in the stage. If there is a "conspiracy," Henao is doing a terrible job. Unless, of course, it's Henao who leads said "conspiracy," not Uran. Hmmm... still sounds like a load to me.
Pozzovivo Fan Club in full effect
Onto one of my favorite topics: Short cyclists who look like 14-year-olds. Domenico Pozzovivo was born a short 45 minute drive from where the stage finished today, so it was no surprise to see his fan club out in full force. He was presented some sort of maglia bianca award in a most unofficial ceremony during RAI's post stage coverage. The award was presented by the president of his fan club, who apparently ate a few of the other members on his way to Matera earlier today.
Pozzato is laughing at the huge belly
I don't wanna finish today's post without mentioning Marco Canola who almost made it two in a row for Bardiani Valvole. What an effort. I could almost see the smoke coming out of his thighs with 100 meters to go. Hats off to the young Italian.
Battaglin may look like a consenting adult celebrating, but look below and you'll find out the truth
And for the second day in a row: What a stage!
We got to see Euskatel's Minguez attaching with 87 bottles in his jersey, Leo Duque attacking on the descent, and fellow Team Colombia Quintero showing his face. Let's not forget Chalapud, DiLuca, Felline, Georges and, of course Enrico Battaglin, who took the stage in a wet, slow-motion sprint. While yesterday was heavily animated by the GC contenders, today was obviously everyone else's turn.
If you look a little deeper into today's results, maybe it represents the passing of the proverbial torch in Italy. Old man Danilo DiLuca (37) tried, but couldn't hold off the younger generation of Italians, Battaglin (23, but looks 15), Felline (23) and even Visconti (30). With all the shame that DiLuca, and his generation, have brought Italian cycling, maybe it's all for the best.
Today's winner looks more like a character in a Disney Channel show than a pro cyclist
As I'm typing this Wiggins sits in 6th spot in the GC, because of 17" he lost in today's finish. However, that may change as the day goes by, if the commissars
deem that Wiggins lost that time because of a crash within the last 3km.
As of now every report on RAI (and you'd think they'd be the first to
know) is that he will lose that time and Uran has moved into second
place 17" behind Paolini. I'm sure the Colombian media are going ape right around now.
Also of note is Cadel Evans' stage result. Sure, coming in 6th (and moving into the top ten in the GC) in an apparently inconsequential day may seem like no big deal, but it shows two very important things: Evans is motivated, and he's in good form. I knew I should have picked him for my fantasy team.
Randomness:
- Sponsor spotlight:Team Colombia Yup, you read right. Team Colombia is an official "Partner/Supplier" of the Giro. - Mario Cipollini mention counter: 2 - Helmet talk counter: 7 - Euskaltel guys on the deck counter: 2 - Stage winner wearing cycling cap / baseball hat / no hat counter: 0 / 2 / 0
This is part 4 of 4. To read from part 1 click here.
Herrera at the 1988 Dauphiné time trial to St. Pierre de Chartreuse.
1988: THE UPS AND DOWNS OF BEING A HERO
By the beginning of the 1988 season everyone who knew cycling, knew who Luis Herrera was, and what he could do. Maybe it’s because of that, that the Vuelta a España organizers changed the race that year. Herrera knew it. “Everything changed [in 1988]. Maybe the organizers realized that last year’s route wasn’t good for [the Spaniards], and decided to change it.” The route change and terrible weather kept Herrera from having a good Vuelta, and the defending champion had to settle for 20th place. To be honest, I do not remember much about that Vuelta. I must have blocked off the feelings of disappointment. But the season was just starting and Herrera had plenty of other races to worry about.
On the 31st of May the Café de Colombia team took the start line for the 1988 Dauphiné Libéré. The Dauphiné had been off my radar (and most other Colombians), until Martin Ramirez won it in ‘84. If a Colombian could win it then, I was sure Herrera could do it again. Pre-race and crowd favorite, Charly Mottet did not waste anytime. He attacked Herrera on stage 3. “My worst mistake”recalls Herrera,“was allowing Mottet to drop me on that stage to Annecy.” The Frenchman won the stage and took over the Yellow Jersey. The next day Portuguese climber Acacio Da Silva took the stage with Mottet in third. Herrera lost more time that day. “We’d lost everything by then. We never thought we could win at that point, but things turned around.” Stage 5 had 5 categorized climbs and Herrera knew if he had any chance to take some time back it was that day. He attacked on the penultimate climb along with Swiss rider Niki Rüttimann. The attack took Mottet by surprise and he got dropped. Rüttimann went on to take the stage, but the Colombian made up the time he’d lost in Annecy. Day 6 was divided into two stages, the final one being an ITT finishing at the ski station of St. Pierre de Chartreuse. The stage was tailor-made for Herrera. He didn’t disappoint. He won the TT and took the over-all in the last day. I’m not sure why, but Lucho winning the Dauphiné meant more for me, as a fan, than when he won the Vuelta. Maybe because the Dauphiné was in France and I felt Colombia had more to proof there than in Spain. Whatever the reason might have been, I was incredibly happy and eagerly anticipated the Tour. When it comes to cycling, my standards are very high. I was no different as a teenager. If I cheer for you, you better deliver. And by “deliver,” I mean, you better win the Tour the same year you won the Dauphiné.
Herrera wearing the leader's jersey during the 1988 Dauphiné
THE '88 TOUR (My Story)
The 1988 Tour de France holds some of the best and worst memories for me as a fan. I have told the story of this Tour so many times, I know the results of the stages by heart. My usual spiel begins months before cycling season even started. I was playing soccer in school with some friends and I guess I wanted to show off. On a corner kick, the ball was perfect for me to head it, but I thought a bicycle-kick would be a good idea. It was the kind of skill that'd get you noticed in the playground. Scoring a goal with it would be by far my biggest achievement to date. Depending on who you ask, the account of the next few seconds of the story will vary greatly. But since I’m sure no one reading this knows anyone who was there that day, you’re gonna have to take my word for what happened. My “chilena” was perfect. A thing of beauty. I hit the ball perfectly and the whole playground witnessed the most beautiful goal ever scored. Ok, I botched my attempt at a bicycle-kick, landed on his left hand and was taken to the nurse’s office with a broken arm. I had a cast up to my armpit by that night.
Our family shared a vacation home with a few other families we knew well. We’d spend a few weekends there throughout the year and a big chunk of summer vacation. The house was just outside of Fusagasugá. I’ll save you trouble of going back to the beginning of the story. Yes, the same town where Luis Herrera was born, about a 2 hour drive from Bogotá. Understandably, Lucho was (and still is) a huge star there. You couldn’t go anywhere in Fusa that summer without hearing a conversation about how Herrera was gonna win the Tour.
The caretaker of the vacation home, a huge cycling fan, of course, had already told me he’d be up for every stage around 5am by his small house behind the pool house with his transistor radio. I looked up to this guy. He must have been in his mid to late 30s and knew, or at least I thought he knew, everything there was to know about cycling. He’d seen Herrera’s early races as an amateur and had plenty of stories about him. In retrospect, he probably made up half of them to entertain the two city kids hanging to his every word, but who cares. At the time he was the best person to listen to cycling with. He understood cycling strategy and what he didn’t know, I’m sure he made up. The plan was for my brother and I to head to his house, listen to the beginning of the stage with him, sitting on empty beer crates, until the TV broadcast started around 10am. Then we’d head back to main house to watch the end of the stage. The plan worked for the first 3 stages. My cast was due to be removed soon, so we had to head back to Bogotá to see my doctor. We’d take care of the cast and be back in time for the mountain stages. Or so I thought. Upon removing the cast, the doctor noticed that my wrist didn't heal right. They did new X-rays and realized they were going to have to re-break the bone and put it back into a cast. I’d never been under general anesthesia, but my fear was completely overshadowed by anger, when I was told when the procedure was to take place.
July 14th, I told my mom, was no good for me. They were going to have to pick another date. The Tour was going up to Alpe d’Huez and I could not miss the stage. Apparently my opinion didn’t matter and the OR was scheduled for July 14th at 10am, right around the time the peloton would start the final climb of the stage. I pleaded. I begged. I screamed. I cried. Nothing seemed to work. I tried to talk to my dad, convince him to talk to the doctor, to move the date back until after the Tour, but he didn’t help me. These people actually thought that some silly medical procedure was more important than watching Herrera win his second stage at the Alpe d’Huez. The morning of the operation I woke up in a foul mood. I triple-checked that the Betamax was programmed to record the stage and got in the car. I tried to talk to my mom one last time on the way there, but the conversation quickly turned into an all-out screaming match. My best fighting years with my mom were yet to come, but I still think that the fight we had that day ranks in the top 5 of all time. By the time we got to the hospital I was boiling with disgust and tears of anger ran down my face. I was NOT going to miss this stage, even if it meant having to kick a few nurses out of my way. It almost came to that. I refused to leave the car, so nurses were called to get me out. With all the commotion the doctor came out to see what was happening. My mom told him and he approached me carefully. He told me that he, too, loved cycling and he wanted to keep up with today’s stage. He said his radio was always on during the Tour in the OR, so I wouldn’t miss a moment of the action. "What a great doctor," I thought. "What a dumb kid," he thought.
The radio was indeed on in the OR when they rolled me in. A nurse told me to count to ten, and put a mask on my face. It smelled funny... I woke up a few hours later. My arm hurt, my head hurt, I was dizzy and nauseous. None of that bothered me as much as the fact that I’d been taken for the proverbial ride. This doctor knew nothing about cycling. He’d probably turned the radio off as soon as they'd put me out. The stage was over by now. Herrera had won the stage and I’d missed it? Tears of anger (and pain) ran down my cheeks again. I felt like an idiot. A few hours later I was back home. No one had told me what had happened in the Tour, so it wouldn’t spoil the Betamax recording. I remember throwing up a lot that day, so I’m not sure when I actually got around to watching the stage. But I did. I hit play, watched about 3 minutes of coverage and the tape stopped. It ran out of tape. I had forgotten to put a new one the night before. I heard Rooks won, I threw up a few more times and cried myself to sleep.
1988 Tour: Millar, Rooks, Delgado, Herrera.
Herrera finished 7th in the stage to Nancy, 5th at Alpe D’Huez, and 6th overall. That’s a good Tour, but not good enough for Colombian fans. We were all disappointed with Lucho's performance.
Fabio Parra, on the other hand, had a great Tour. Before the season started he had left Herrera’s side and the Café de Colombia team to race for Kelme, in Spain. He won the stage at Morzine, was 4th at Alpe d’Huez, 9th at Luz Ardiden, and finished 3rd overall. The first (and so far only) Colombian podium finish in the Tour. At the beginning of the season I saw Parra as a traitor for leaving the Colombian team, but felt just as proud of him on that podium as if he were still wearing the blue Café de Colombia jersey. I admit, I was a fair weather fan. The poster of Herrera on the Dauphiné podium came down, and up went one of Parra standing along with Rooks and Delgado.
1988 Touer podium: Pedro Delgado, Stephen Rooks, Fabio Parra.
1989: HERRERA JOINS BAHAMONTES
Federico Bahamontes. Image cyclinghalloffame.com.
The main objective for Herrera this year: To win the King of the Mountains jersey at the Giro d’Italia and join the legendary Spanish climber Federico Behemotes as the only two riders in history to win the mountain’s competition in all three Grand Tours.
The Giro started pretty good for the Colombian. On stage 8 to Gran Sasso, he out-sprinted breakaway partners Erik Breukink and Marino Lajarreta to get second place on the mountain-top finish. It was a cold stage, but the weather was just going to get worse. A few days later, Herrera lost a lot of time on a snowy stage. “It was a stage with snow. I never did well in that kind of weather. I lost over 5 minutes.” Who can blame him? Herrera came from a place where temperatures often reach 90°F (32°C) during the day, all year round. But even bad weather could not stop Lucho. It was cold and rainy on stage 13 (the day after one Mario Cipollini won his first Giro stage), from Padova to Tre Cime di Lavaredo. The race was already splintered by the time the riders reached the bottom of the last climb. With 18 kms to go, a small group containing most of race favorites (Breukink, Fignon, Hampsten, Roche, Lajarreta…) was in front. As soon as the road started to slope, Herrera sent his team mates, Alvaro Sierra and the ever loyal Henry Cardenas, to set tempo. The Colombians looked out of place surrounded by snow, even in the lower slopes, but with 5 kms to go, Herrera looked comfortable as he went up to the front of the group and steadily left everyone behind. “With 5 kms to go, I attacked hard and no one could keep up. I reached the line first and won at Tre Cime di Lavaredo.” The shy and introverted Herrera didn’t even raise one hand in celebration. He hardly ever did. His team mate Cardenas, however, did, when he crossed the line over 3 minutes back. That stage win gave Lucho the Green Jersey of leader of the KoM.
Henry "Cebollita" Cardenas lifts his right arm in "victory" as he comes in
over 3 minutes back of stage winner Luis Herrera
A week later at the mountain TT to Monte Generoso, Herrera struck again. “I took that stage easily, but it wasn’t enough to help me on the GC.” With the KoM points he got from that stage victory, Herrera pretty much locked up the Green Jersey. For the first time since 1958, a climber won the climber’s jersey in all three Grand Tours, a feat no one has been able to repeat since.
Lucho wears the green jersey on the TT to Monte Generoso, during the 1989 Giro.
1990-1991 THE BEGINNING OF THE END
Luis Herrera, in the Postobon colors 1991.
1990 was a forgettable season for Lucho. Café de Colombia had been poached by European teams and the international reinforcements weren’t working out as well as they had hoped. Herrera switched to the Postobón team* for the 1991 season, but it didn’t seem to have made a difference. His results in the early part of the domestic season were way below expectations. “I knew retirement was near and I saw it as something that had to happen. I knew that the new generation was going to be better than me. I knew I wasn’t unbeatable or could live forever.” As a fan, I gave up on Herrera. It was time for him to hang the boots. But, he didn’t. He went to back Europe and finished an awful 60th in the Vuelta a Andalucia, before heading to the Vuelta a España.
If you know your Vuelta history, you know the 1991 race was dominated by Melchor Mauri. Go ahead, look him up. When I say dominated, I mean he wore the leader’s jersey 17 out of the 20 days and won four stages. Meanwhile, Herrera, showing that he wasn’t too old to climb with the best, came in second to Fabio Parra on the TT on stage 14 to Valdezcaray. Just two days later Lucho re-conquered Lagos de Covadonga and won the stage with the same climbing power he had done in 1987. Then, he was third to Laudelino Cubino and Lajarreta on the stage 17 to the Alto del Naranco. Herrera finished 13th and, for the second time in his career, he went home as the KoM
* if you want to read an excellent piece about the rivalry between the Café de Colombia and the Postobón teams, click here
Herrera wins in Lagos de Covadonga. Vuelta a España, 1991
A few weeks later it was time for the Dauphiné. Rominger and Cubino came in as favorites, but as soon as the climbing started Herrera reminded everyone he was still a contender by winning stage 6 to Villard de Lans. “We went up in a small group with [Tony] Rominger, [Oliverio] Rincón, [Laudelino] Cubino, [Henry] Cardenas, [Martin] Farfán and [Robert] Millar. We controlled any attacks. With 500m to go I went for it, I won the stage and ended up 20 seconds behind the overall leader, Rominger.” The next day Herrera would put on the yellow jersey. “It was the stage that went up to Aix les Bains. I went up with Cubino a few kilometers from the finish and we managed to get a sizable gap. [Cubino] won the stage and I got the yellow jersey. I defended it well on the final TT.” Herrera had won his second Dauphiné.
Unfortunately, his good form would not last until July and he finished 31st in the Tour.
Herrera wins his second Dauphiné. Photo: cyclinginquisition.com
THE LAST PEDAL STROKES
Monument to Lucho Herrera in his native city of Fusagasugá.
The press and the fans expected Luis Herrera to retire after the ‘91 season. “Things changed. I analyzed my season and concluded that it had been good. Besides, [Team] Postobón wanted me to go on and at the end, they convinced me.” The team set their sights on the Giro as their main objective for the year. They went to Spain to prepare and Herrera won the overall and the KoM in the Vuelta a Aragon. He continued to show good form in the Giro and won stage 9 to Terminillo. “…in the last few meters I outwitted everyone and won. I finished 8th overall, ahead of many of the great ones.” Eighth overall and a stage win in a major Tour would be a great result for most, but Colombians wanted more. After his victory in the 1987 Vuelta a España, he was expected to win the Tour, and since he didn't "deliver," fans moved on. I look back and feel ashamed. Herrera was still giving us great results, but we turned our backs on him.
Herrera in 2009. Photo: Colombia.com
Luis Alberto Herrera Herrera took his last pedal stroke as a professional in the 1992 Colombian National Championships.
Lucho introduced me to the fervor, to the passion, to the beauty that is professional cycling. With Herrera gone, I lost interest in the sport. Even today, no race I watch has ever given me the excitement and exhilaration that I felt when I watched Lucho race in the mid to late 80s. For that, I will be eternally thankful.
I was a Senior in high school, when Herrera retired. I can’t recall watching a single cycling race while I was in college.
NOTE: Some of the content for the post, including Herrera's quotes (unless otherwise noted), come from a 1992 issue of Mundo Ciclistico magazine.
