The image of Rigoberto Urán appears in every corner of Urrao, in southwest Antioquia. / Courtesy Éder Garcés
Photo: Éder Garcés
In Urrao, you feel Rigoberto Urán everywhere. In stores, shops and murals you can find the face of the charismatic cyclist. From wells with his image and lottery tickets to a goat tour that runs through the streets where the double runner-up of the Giro d’Italia trained before positioning himself in world cycling. Even one or another dog is called Rigo, in honor of the town’s most famous character.
The church of San José, in the main square of Urrao, is the only point where his name is not heard out of respect for God. Although many could consider Rigoberto Urán as a saint.
“What does Rigo mean to us?” says Nancy, a 42-year-old native of Urra. “He is one of the best athletes that Antioquia has produced, he has known how to represent and leave the name of Urrao high.”
The devotion to Urán probably began in 2006, the year he debuted as a professional. In his 17 racing seasons and his participation in hundreds of races around the world, Rigo has managed to establish himself as a legend of Colombian cycling.
Despite his good performances, his best years were between 2012 and 2017. Without a doubt, the turning point came at the London Olympic Games, in which he managed to win the silver medal in the long-distance road cycling event. .
In 2013 and 2014 he was runner-up in the Giro d’Italia and won a stage in both editions. Three years later he achieved what every cyclist dreams of: standing on the podium of the Tour de France. Unfortunately for him, among the 198 cyclists who participated in the race, there was the British Chris Froome, who did not let the Urra native keep the yellow jersey by a difference of only 54 seconds.
This year it was time for Rigo to retire. Last February he announced that at the end of the season he would definitely get off the bike. At 37 years old, he feels that his job is accomplished and he managed to do something that he set out to do since he decided to dedicate himself to cycling: leave Urrao’s name high.
The other side of Urrao, the town of Rigoberto Urán
Southwest Antioquia was one of the areas hardest hit by the armed conflict at the end of the 90s and the beginning of the new millennium. Many of the massacres in that area of the department were due to the actions of groups outside the law, especially the Southwest Block and other paramilitary structures.
Urrao’s name was written forever in the history of the Colombian armed conflict in May 2003, when the 34th front of the FARC assassinated the then governor of Antioquia, Guillermo Gaviria, the Peace advisor of the Government, Gilberto Echeverri, along with eight more soldiers.
Two years before that event, in 2001, the Urán family was a victim of violence when Don Rigoberto, Rigo’s father, was murdered at the hands of an armed group. The body of the person who inherited the love of cycling from his son was found some time later on the banks of the river near the municipality. To date, his death has not been clarified and those responsible have never been brought to justice.
“In Urrao we have been victims of the armed conflict, here I am with a resilient heart where several years ago my father was murdered and thrown into the river. I am convinced that there are more of us good Colombians,” the rider has said in several interviews.
Today, with the FARC and the Self-Defense Forces demobilized, the municipality is off the radar of the actors in the conflict and free of illegal armed groups. All of Urrao forgave, but are not willing to forget that it was the scene of a black chapter in the country’s history.
Urrao, birthplace of cycling champions
In addition to Rigoberto Urán, several riders have also come from Urrao, such as Juan Pablo Restrepo, who was nicknamed after the name of the municipality, and Nicolás Castro. However, the most prominent before Rigo were the Laverdes. All members of that family have something to do with cycling, whether as practitioners of the sport or workers in bicycle workshops. The person responsible for this fever is Nicolás ‘Mincho’ Laverde, a cyclist who was not successful, but left the seed in his nephews.
The one with the greatest recognition is Luis Felipe Laverde. The ‘old racing fox’ has been a double stage winner in the Giro d’Italia, in the 2005 and 2006 editions, and a cyclist for more than 35 years. Born in 1979, he was champion of the Youth Tour in 2003 and a year later he was part of the Colombian delegation at the Athens Olympic Games. Currently, he is the director of the Vuelta a Antioquia.
Ruben, Arles and Nicolás, brothers of Luis Felipe, have also stood out in cycling, but on a smaller scale. César Laverde, a cousin, has his history as a rider, of which there is not much record in grand tours, but he has remained in this sport serving as a judge in several races at the national level.
“Here in Urrao there is a lot of talent, we just need to support the young people. The Laverdes and Rigo are just an example that with hard work and perseverance you can get ahead,” says John, a young man from Urra who aspires to one day be like the great Rigoberto Urán.
