After the last tests in the Vuelta a Burgos and the Tour of Utah, the technical staff of Team Colombia-Coldeportes, led by General Manager Claudio Corti, has selected the nine riders who will represent the colors of the only Pro Continental South American team in the 70th edition of the Vuelta a España, which will start from Puerto Banus(Marbella) this Saturday, August 22nd, and will end in the Country’s capital, Madrid, on September 13th.

The nine cyclists selected are Alex Cano, Fabio Duarte, Leonardo Duque, Walter Pedraza, Carlos Julian Quintero,Brayan Ramirez, Miguel Angel Rubiano, Rodolfo Torres and Juan Pablo Valencia. The squad will fly to Spain from Milan (Italy) on Wednesday, August 19th. The upcoming Vuelta a España represents the third time that the Escarabajos will get to ride a Grand Tour, following the 2013 and 2014 editions of the Giro d’Italia, and the first participation for a Colombian team in the Spanish race since 1993. Three of the riders will make their debut in a Grand Tour: Alex Cano, Brayan Ramirez and Juan Pablo Valencia.

General Manager Claudio Corti explained the selection made by the technical staff: “The Vuelta a España is a very important event for us, and for this reason we have built a team able to deliver experience and maximum focus through three weeks of racing”.

“The story of this Vuelta will be written on the mountains and that’s were we want to put ourselves into the spotlight," Corti continued. "We are confident that we have a solid squad, capable of leaving its mark on the race and meeting the expectations of the fans from Colombia and all over the world. Our first goal will be to win a stage, but we’ll have a better picture of what we can do – not only in stages, but also in the general classification – once the race will develop”.

“A couple of days ago I made a visit to Coldeportes Director and Sports Minister Andres Botero and he confirmed to me that there’s a great atmosphere of anticipation in Colombia now that our Vuelta debut is drawing closer: we hope he will join us in the final days of the race also this time”, the General Manager of the Escarabajos concluded.