For a Colombian a climb is more than a road that rises. It’s something that is part of the culture and history of Colombian cycling, and whenever an Escarabajo pulls the best climber’s jersey, it’s always a special moment.

And if the race in which he does is Tirreno-Adriatico, the first World Tour event of the year for Team Colombia-Coldeportes, where a real fighter like Carlos Julian Quintero gets to wear the green jersey, it’s a double joy.

After two days of fighting, chasing a symbol that seemed like slipping away, Quintero succeeded on stage four of the “Race of the Two Seas”, Indicatore-Castelraimondo (226 km) to break Danilo Wyss’ (BMC) resistance and to wear a jersey he will now have to defend on the next two stages.

The finish of Tirreno-Adriatico’s longest stage saw the victory of the Dutch rider Wout Poels (Team Sky), who left behind all his rivals on the day’s last categorized climb, thus taking a solo win, with a 14 seconds gap over Rigoberto Uran (Etixx-Quick Step) and Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha).

Poels even managed to take the blue jersey off the shoulders of Greg Van Avermaet (BMC), who was distanced on the last climb of the stage. Alex Cano was Colombia-Coldeportes’s best rider at the finish, 46th at 2:11:

“Cycling in Europe is very different than the one we know from Colombia, so there are many things you have to learn and improve in order to stay at the front after 230 km. This is what I do, I learn”, Cano told the Colombia website after crossing the finish line.

Now, the whole team shares the happiness of Quintero:

“In the end, the work paid off and to wear this jersey brings me joy, especially because of this. I have to thank the team, which helped me on the two categorized climbs of the day. On the first one I tried to attack Wyss and I noticed that he could not answer. In that moment I realized that the jersey could be mine. On the second climb, Walter Pedraza and Miguel Rubiano helped me come on the top just behind the two escapees (Orica-GreenEDGE’s Hayman and Durbridge) and get enough points to keep this green jersey”

“Now I just have to defend it with all it takes: so far I’ve spent a lot of power, but this jersey will give me more energy, and I know that with the support of the whole team we can keep the green jersey”, Quintero added.

The first test is scheduled tomorrow, in the queen-stage of this Tirreno-Adriatico, Esanatoglia – Monte Terminillo (197 km), with bad weather and snow expected on the final climb. A stage that is very likely to put an end to the fight for the blue jersey.