On Monday, August 15, the roster of several UCI Pro Cycling teams was confirmed. With great expectation, we bring you the Latinos in the Vuelta a España 2022, a bit of their trajectory, and which team they belong to. Keep reading to find out more!
Latino Cyclists in the Vuelta a España 2022
Miguel Ángel “Superman” López (Astana Qazaqstan)
Miguel Ángel López is a Colombian cyclist from Boyacá. He rides for the Astana Qazaqstan team. Back in 2018 he had the best results in Grand Tours. He reached the podium in the Giro d’Italia (3rd place) and in the Vuelta a España (3rd place). For the 2021 season, he signed a contract with Movistar, however, there was no empathy at all, which made him return in the same year to Astana.
Harold Tejada (Astana Qazaqstan)
Harold Alfonso Tejada is a Colombian road cyclist, currently riding for the UCI WorldTeam Astana Qazaqstan. In 2019, he was part of Team Medellín and subsequently signed with Astana in 2020. That same year, he was named on the start list for the 2020 Tour de France. Besides, he participated in both the 2021 and 2022 Giro d’Italia.
Nairo Quintana (Arkéa Samsic)
Regarding Nairo Quintana, of the Arkéa Samsic team, he will also be in the Vuelta a España 2022. He was crowned champion of this Grand Tour in 2016 and in 2014 of the Giro. This year, he has had favorable results, finishing 6th in the Tour de France, 5th in Paris-Nice, and 4th in the Tour of Catalonia. He is a rider with a long track record who could reach the podium in Spain.
Sergio Higuita (Bora Hansgrohe)
Sergio Higuita is another Colombian who is part of the Bora-Hansgrohe team. This season, he achieved 1st place in the National Road Championship in Colombia and in the Vuelta a Cataluña, where he also won 1st place in the youth and mountain classification.
In addition, he came 2nd in the Tour de Suisse along with the youth jersey. He has had impressive results this year and is very likely to excel in the Vuelta a España.
Juan Sebastián Molano (UAE Emirates)
Colombian Juan Sebastián Molano, a native of Paipa, has achieved success with UAE Emirates in both the previous and current seasons. In the Vuelta a Burgos 2021, he won the points classification, as he did in the Giro di Sicilia. Moreover, in 2022, he won a stage in Boucles de la Mayenne and finished 2nd in the Trophée Playa de Palma.
Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers)
Finally, we have Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz, the INEOS Grenadiers rider who completes the list of Latinos in the Vuelta a España 2022. This year, he won the Ecuadorian Time Trial Championship and finished second in the Ecuadorian Road Championship. He also finished runner-up in both the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a Cataluña.