Behringer, Brand, Henttala and Lozano cross the final line at Tour Colombia

Race: Tour Colombia – Stage 6

Start/Finish: Zipaquira /El Once Verjon, Colombia

Distance: 182.6 kilometers

Oliver Behringer (SUI) (neo-pro)

I’m happy to have my first race of the season completed. The start to every season is always challenging and a shock to the system. Mix in the altitude and world-class field at the Tour Colombia, and this race was a real sufferfest.

We knew today would be hard and that it was going to split the peloton at some point. While we felt the altitude the previous days, it was really the key factor today. We went over 3,000 meters twice, which meant I was suffering a lot.

We anticipated the split on the penultimate climb, so there were many groups out on the road. Each of us found a bunch to ride in together to the finish.

I really want to thank my teammates who supported me throughout each stage whenever they could. Having them around me definitely made the suffering a little easier. Now we focus on recovery and start traveling to Rwanda.

Next Up:

Next up, the world’s first all-diabetes professional cycling team will take on the Tour du Rwanda, Africa’s premier stage race. It kicks off on February 23^rd with a 114.4-km stage that starts and finishes in Kigali.

Photos: ©BettiniPhotos