Every 20 July, Colombia commemorates its declaration of independence. And there are few places in the world where Colombian pride feels more at home than on the roads of the Giro d’Italia. And if there is one thing that binds this country to the Corsa Rosa, it is the mountains: that endless vertical world where the escarabajos learned to fly long before they discovered Europe.
The story began in 1973, when Martín Emilio “Cochise” Rodríguez became the first Colombian to win a stage of the Giro, opening a door that would never close again. Then came the legend of Luis “Lucho” Herrera, El Jardinerito, one of the purest climbers the sport has ever known. Three stage victories and the Maglia Verde – then awarded to the winner of the Mountains Classification – in 1989 confirmed what Italy was beginning to realise about the escarabajos. His legacy in the mountains was carried on by riders such as Chepe González and Freddy González, who continued to build a tradition that had become a source of national pride.
But the pinnacle came with the golden generation of Colombian cycling. In 2014, Nairo Quintana pulled on the Maglia Rosa in Trieste and became the first Colombian – and the first Latin American – to win the Corsa Rosa. Seven years later, in 2021, Egan Bernal repeated the feat with a commanding display in the high mountains worthy of a true champion. Between those two triumphs came a succession of podium finishes and unforgettable moments: Rigoberto Urán‘s back-to-back runner-up finishes in 2013 and 2014, as admired for his charisma as for his talent; Esteban Chaves‘ unforgettable smile, which lit up the Giro as he finished second overall in 2016 and claimed a memorable stage victory on Mount Etna; and Fernando Gaviria‘s five stage wins and Colombia’s only Maglia Ciclamino, a sprinter’s triumph from the fast exception in a nation of climbers
The present keeps the flame alive. Today, Egan Bernal is more than a champion: he is a symbol of resilience. After the horrific crash that nearly claimed his life in early 2022, the rider from Zipaquirá has rebuilt his career pedal stroke by pedal stroke, returning to lead his team at the sport’s biggest races. Alongside him, a new standard-bearer has emerged in Dani Martínez. The rider from Soacha came within touching distance of glory in 2024, finishing a superb second in Rome, the best of the rest behind a Tadej Pogačar who seemed to be from another planet. Colombia was back on the podium of a Grand Tour with a rider in his prime.
Santiago Buitrago, a stage winner in 2022 and 2023, was the last escarabajo to raise his arms in the Corsa Rosa and remains one of Colombia’s brightest hopes in the mountains, despite the misfortune that forced him to abandon the 2026 edition. Einer Rubio, a stage winner in 2023, continues to embody that generous fighting spirit on the climbs. They all share the same ambition: to return Colombia to the summit of a race that has long felt like a home away from home.
