The Colombian winners at the Tour Romandie over history

Next week begins one of the most prestigious stage races of the spring World Tour calendar, the Tour de Romandie, which between Tuesday 25 and Sunday 30 April will travel the roads of the western part of Switzerland and will include high mountain stages and no less than two time trials.

Reviewing the list of winners of the race since its first edition in 1947, when the Belgian Desire Keteleer won ahead of the legendary Gino Bartali, we wanted to take a look at the Colombians who have managed to triumph on the Swiss roads.

The first Colombian to win in Romandie was the all-rounder Santiago Botero (who could do well in this edition with two time trials). He won in 2005 and finished ahead of Damiano Cunego and Denis Menshov. A year later, in 2006, he was implicated in the Operación Puerto and, although he did not receive any official sanction, he was banned by the UCI from racing in Europe again. Thus, Romandie was the last major victory of his career.

The second Colombian to win the race was Nairo Quintana in 2016. The then Movistar Team rider won the overall over Thibaut Pinot and Ion Izagirre a year in which he would end up winning the Vuelta a España. Since then, the other Colombian who has come close to winning the Swiss race has been an Egan Bernal who finished second in 2018 behind Primoz Roglic and ahead of Richie Porte.