Colombia Oro y Paz: Uran wins penultimate stage as Quintana takes race lead

Nairo Quintana, Rigoberto Urán, Sergio Henao, Egan Bernal: The cream of this unprecedented crop of Colombian talent went hammer and tongs on the steep climb to Salento in a thrilling finale to stage 5 of the Oro y Paz. Spare a thought, though, for Rodrigo Contreras, the forgotten man of today's stage and a forgotten man of Colombian cycling.

The former Quick-Step Floors rider, now representing a local Colombian team, nearly defied the odds as he spent 30 kilometres on his own at the front of the race, only to be mopped up and spat out at the foot of the 2.9-kilometre final climb. From there, it was pure theatre as the peloton burst open and Colombia's best climbers locked horns, sending the huge crowds gathered in Salento's square to fever pitch.

Urán (EF-Drapac) won the stage, getting to the line just ahead of Quintana (Movistar). Bernal (Team Sky) followed right behind for third, with teammate Henao on his wheel.

Those four had looked strong on Friday on the first hilly stage of the Oro y Paz but the climb to El Tambo proved best suited to the qualities of Julian Alaphilippe (Quick-Step Floors). Many thought the short climb to Salento might be the same, but it turned out to be far steeper than the road-book suggested, and Alaphilippe finished outside the top 10 and waved goodbye to his leader's jersey.

Thanks to his marginally better finish on Friday, it's Quintana who moves into pink with one stage remaining. He leads Urán by three seconds, Henao by four seconds, and Bernal by nine seconds. The Oro y Paz now looks like a four-horse race on the grand finale atop Manizales on Sunday.

Salento's square was packed for the podium ceremony, where Quintana, Urán, and Bernal received their prizes. The hoards of fans didn't know who to cheer for, so they cheered for all of them. Chants of 'Nairo, Nairo!' were interspersed with chants of 'Rigo, Rigo!', and then 'Egan, Egan!'.

No one was cheering for Contreras. Over at the van of his EPM team, away from the commotion, he was left to rue what might have been. Without accurate time gaps, he had really believed in his chances.

Quintana, Urán et al are rightly lauded as the leading lights in a golden age for Colombian cycling, but for all those who cross continents and kick on, there are still those who get left behind.

Contreras signed for Quick-Step for the 2016 season. He had caught their attention with fifth place overall at the 2015 Tour de San Luis and secured his ticket to the WorldTour after a trainee stint later that year. However, a crash at the Tour de San Luis derailed his start to life as a pro, and it didn't get much better. After just 32 race days – of which just over half were completed – he and the team decided together to annul the second year of his neo-pro contract.

"The whole experience was complicated," Contreras told Cyclingnews in Salento, as if he didn't know where to start. "I injured my right knee at the Tour de San Luis, and all year actually I was between injuries – at País Vasco, Suisse. We agreed that I wouldn't continue."

Making the transition from Colombia to Europe has always been seen as a barrier to Colombian cyclists reaching the top of the overwhelmingly European sport of cycling. Closely tied to their homeland and its customs, many have struggled to adapt.

"It wasn't easy at all for me," said Contreras. "I live at altitude, nearly 3000 metres above sea level, whereas Europe is at sea level. It wasn't good for me being over there so long. That's just one thing – there were many circumstances. It just didn't work for me."

Contreras returned to Colombia, dropping down two divisions to return to his old team Coldeportes, where he tried to find his feet again on the domestic scene. He has switched to EPM for 2018 but, aside from this rare opportunity at the Oro y Paz, he remains in obscurity as far as the international cycling audience is concerned.

The Colombia Oro y Paz so far has been a feverish celebration of Colombian cycling, of how Nairo and Rigo and Chaves and Gaviria have gone to Europe and conquered, of how Colombia is now well and truly on the map. Contreras showed there's another side to the story, though perhaps this isn't where it ends for him.

"The dream is to return to Europe, and ride for one of the biggest teams in the world," he said. "If I can show my condition you never know. I'm still young, I'm only 23, so let's hope."

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