On April 4, one of the most important one-week races in the World Tour, the Tour of the Basque Country, will begin, and eight Colombians will seek their first title in the 2022 season. These are Sebastián Henao, Daniel Felipe Martinez, Sergio Higuita, Alejandro Osorio, Jesus David Peña, Daniel Alejandro Mendez, Rigoberto Uran and Diego Camargo.
The race, of which Nairo Quintana was crowned the winner in 2013, will be characterized by stages in which both second and third category ports will prevail. The most mountainous day will be the last, in Eibar, with seven ports, three of them first class.
In addition to the closing stage (Saturday 9 April) there are two that stand out, for their explosive finals, the third and fifth, ideal for competitors such as Monster Higuita, who have an extra point of speed. The Antioquian will arrive motivated after winning the Vuelta a Catalunya, his first World Tour title, and wearing the Colombian flag in the Bora-Hansgrohe uniform.
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Among the coffee growers, another of those called to star in the competition is Dani Martínez, podium in the two one-week competitions in which he participated this year: Vuelta al Algarve, where he was beaten by Remco Evenepoel and American Brandon McNulty, and Paris-Nice, behind Primoz Roglic and Simon Yachts.
On the other hand, the Toro de Urrao, one of the greatest exponents of Colombian cycling, will run its second World Tour race. The first was the Tyrrhenian Adriatic, in which it finished in fourteenth position. He will be accompanied by his compatriot Diego Camargo, winner of the Vuelta de la Juventud and the Vuelta a Colombia in 2020, who did not dazzle with the now EF Education-EasyPost last season.
Sebastián Henao, Miguel Ángel López's teammate in the Astana Qazaqstan Team and cousin of Sergio Luis Henao will also run the Vuelta del País Vasco, although in a gregarious condition. So will Daniel Alejandro Méndez (Kern Pharma), Jesús David Peña (World Tour debutant with Team BikeExchange-Jayco) and Alejandro Osorio (Bahrain Victorious).
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Perhaps the favorite to win the Tour of the Basque Country, not only because he has already won it twice, but because of his victory at Paris-Nice this season, is Slovenian Primoz Roglic, who will have two luxury gregarians at Jumbo-Visma: American Sepp Kuss and Danish Jonas Vingegaard, who is not ruled out as a favorite.
Among the strongest opponents of the reigning Olympic champion in the time trial mode stands out the Belgian jewel Remco Evenepoel and one of the most beloved classicomaniacs on the planet for his dedication every race, the Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe. They won't have it easy with a team like Ineos Grenadiers, which in addition to Martinez, will line up Geraint Thomas, Adam Yates, Thao Geoghegan Hart and the Spanish promise Carlos Rodriguez.
Those who wish to see the Tour of the Basque Country will be able to do so at Señal Colombia from 8:30 a.m.
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