Almost three decades since Lucho Herrera took an emphatic win, becoming the first Colombian to triumph in the Vuelta a España, an all-Colombian team will take part in the Spanish race again, after Unipublic, the company that runs the Grand Tour, has decided to giveTeam Colombia-Coldeportes a wild card for the 70th edition, thanks to which the South-American squad will line-up in Puerto Banus, on August 22nd. Cofidis, Caja Rural, Europcar and MTN-Qhubeka were the other teams to have been granted an invitation.

Ever since José Antonio Agudelo Gomez won on the Alto Campoo (April 30th 1985) ahead of Robert Millar, Colombia became a constant presence in the Vuelta of España, the riders lighting-up the race on the mountains, to the joy of cycling fans, who discovered the fireworks constantly provided by the Colombian cyclists on the uphills, thus becoming fond of them. So over the years, beside the great win of Luis Herrera – the first rider from South-America to win a Grand Tour – they could see more memorable moments in the Vuelta, like the stage wins of Fabio Parra, Oliverio Rincon or Felix Cardenas.

For a couple of years now, a new golden era of Colombian cycling has started, with more and more riders coming from the country and establishing themselves as some of the best in the pro peloton. Created in 2012, Colombia-Coldeportes had a major role in this resurgence, after becoming the first Colombian Pro Continental team, which allowed it to take part in some of the most important World Tour events, one-day and stage races.

Claudio Corti, the team’s general manager, was overwhelmed when hearing the news: “It is a great day for us as a team, and we will be honored to bring the Colombian flag at the start of the Vuelta a Espana. For us, it is another big step ahead in our team’s evolution: after racing the Giro twice, we have now managed to earn the confidence of Unipublic, something we cannot wait to pay back with three weeks of aggressive racing in August and September.”

Coldeportes’ Director and Colombia’s Sports Minister Andres Botero also sounded his pride in seeing an all-Colombian team return to the Vuelta: “The Spanish stage race has had an incredible role in our cycling’s history, becoming the first Grand Tour ever conquered by an Escarabajo in 1987, and the whole Nation is excited at the perspective of seeing Colombia-Coldeportes battling on the Spanish climbs. It is an exciting day for our sport, and I wish to thank Javier Guillen and Unipublic for the confidence shown in this project. I am sure the team will live up to the expectations.”

The 70th Vuelta a España starts on August 22nd in Puerto Banus and will cover 3,374 kilometers before the finish in Madrid onSeptember 13th. The three-week race includes nine summit finishes, an individual as well as a team time trial.

In an all-time standings of Vuelta stage wins, Colombia lies on 8th place, with 29 victories, ahead of many European countries with a big tradition in cycling. Later in the season, Team Colombia-Coldeportes’s riders will be keen to add to this tally and make an entire nation proud.