"Nibali and Quintana even got up on stage and started singing" – Fabio Aru reveals all on celebratory scenes at Giro del Rigo 2025
Cycling
When Vincenzo Nibali starts singing and Nairo Quintana joins in, you know it’s not your usual post-race podium. For one weekend in Barranquilla, cycling legends from different eras swapped race radios and mountain passes for microphones and laughter — all under the Caribbean sun.
The occasion was El Giro del Rigo, Rigoberto Uran’s now-famous Colombian gran fondo, and Fabio Aru admits he’ll be smiling about it for a long time.
“We had so much fun, during and after the ride,” Aru told Bici.Pro. “Nibali and Quintana even got up on stage and started singing, others were dancing. I tried too, but I’m a terrible dancer!”
A reunion that felt like a time machine
The start list alone could have belonged to a Grand Tour from a decade ago: Uran, Nibali, Aru, Quintana, Bernal, Henao and Agnoli all rolled out together alongside thousands of amateur riders. Yet the vibe was more festival than finish line — a reunion of champions reliving what united them long before wattages and world rankings.
Aru, who was invited personally by Uran, described scenes of warmth and chaos as the group landed in Colombia. “From the moment we arrived, people were waiting with flags and phones for photos. Rigo is a national hero there — he’s got the popularity of a rock star.”
The former Giro d’Italia runner-up joined Nibali and Agnoli for the 165-kilometre route, mingling freely among the 8,000 riders who had travelled from across South America. “It wasn’t an easy course, but the goal wasn’t to suffer — it was to enjoy the day with the fans,” he said. “We stopped for pictures, joked around at the feed zones, and I even tried the local papas — like boiled potatoes!”
Rigoberto Uran is the man behind the Giro del Rigo
More than a race
What struck Aru most wasn’t the scale of the event but the love surrounding Uran himself. The Colombian, who has turned his post-racing years into a thriving network of restaurants, tours and cycling events, has built something far beyond sport.
“Rigoberto really deserves all of it,” Aru said. “He’s hugely popular and his event is organised perfectly. It’s great for cycling because it shows how much joy and energy the sport can bring.”
When the riding ended, the music began. A festival village filled with food stalls, live bands and fans dancing late into the evening brought the day to a close — with Nibali and Quintana leading the chorus.
“The man with a thousand faces”
For Aru, the trip was also a reminder of how far he’s come since his own racing days. Among the Colombian crowd he discovered he had picked up a new nickname: El hombre de las mil caras — “the man with a thousand faces.”
“They told me it was because of all the expressions I made when I was suffering,” Aru laughed. “I explained it was just because I was always giving more than I had.”
Amid the laughter and nostalgia, the Italian couldn’t help noticing a sentimental detail: the Giro d’Italia 2014 podium was reunited once again — Quintana, Uran and himself — this time not for battle, but celebration.
For one golden weekend, competition was replaced by camaraderie, and the peloton’s past stars became the life of the party. As Aru put it best: “We didn’t talk much about racing — we just had an amazing time.”
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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