FUN Chaves Cycling Team

“I like cycling because everyday you can overcome yourself. I’m happy in FUN team. We try to be professionals in all the matters. When I wear my jersey I feel great responsibility and huge pride”

When he was twelve, he had a face to face experience with a bike. Three years ago, he started to work with determination and focus in order to become a professional cyclist. He enjoys the climbs, fell that he beats the gravity to get to the top. Every time that he is able to visit his grandmother, Doña Maria Rita in Remanso, Cundinamarca, he feels free. Going to fish, collecting oranges and avocados and admiring beautiful landscapes makes him happy. He is a kind and humble person. Simultaneously to his studies, and when he is not practicing with FUN, he works in a bike shop. He is very passionate about mechanics.

His parents have given him the most important thing, support and courage to pursue his dreams. This is his third year with us and in his previous years he was the king of the mountain in the Clásica de Soacha and the Clásica Rubén Darío Gómez. During the Clásica Rubén Darío Gómez, he also finished second in the general classification and he won the time-trial stage in the Clásica Esteban Chaves where he placed in the first three in the general classification.

Estatura: 1.71 metros.

Peso: 52 Kilogramos.

Strengths: mountain, climber and mixed time trial

«Wanting is power».

He is an affectionate, kind, grateful young man. He goes through his first year on the FUN Team. His goal is to be a World Tour cyclist. He has four brothers. Thanks to Jhon, the eldest, he discovered the wonderful world of the bike. Together, with the residents of the neighborhood, they went out to ride in the block, to walk the platforms as if they were tracks. Thus, at 5 years of age, the idyll began that has made him a wise man of cycling. Before joining our squad, he participated in the Monserrate Club.

Playing soccer, sharing with his family and reading and having adventures through books are plans that he enjoys a lot. He admires Gabriel García Márquez. The Smell of the Guava is one of the favorite books. He admires his parents: Gladys, a housewife, and Antonio José, a construction worker. Both have taught him the importance of respect, effort and tenacity. He loves cycling because it challenges him daily and allows him to appreciate the landscapes of his beloved land, Colombia. In the team he has delved into technique, strategy and the use of technology to his benefit.

Height: 1.76 meters

Weight: 59 kilograms

Strengths: climber and mixed time triallist

“I’m very happy in the FUN team. I had never received this kind of support. Physiotherapist, assistants, we have a complete structure. I have found support and professionalism“

His second home is Boyacá. All his family is from Turmequé. There he learned how to work in the country and also how to ride a bike, both his greatest passions. Aware and generous, he received his first bike as a Christmas gift. The bike was smaller than the Christmas tree but bigger than any other desire. From the work in the country he learned that in life, things are achieved with great effort, discipline and grit. He is the oldest of his other two siblings and this is his first year at FUN which for now, he describes as an enriching experience. 

He is now a junior in High school. He is a good student. His favorite subjects are Spanish, social science and natural science. He strongly believes that sports have to be complemented with education. One of his biggest goals is to go to University and become an agro-engineer. In cycling his goal is to ride abroad and support his parent, Martha and Uriel and his grandparents to improve their living conditions. 

Height: 1.65 meters

Weight: 52 kilograms

Strengths: climber and climb time triallist

«Riding the bike, I can meet new places, learn from coaches, be better every day. I love that it sticks air in my face and that every rise demands me to the maximum».

Joy. That’s what he felt when he rode his bike for the first time. He couldn’t get off, despite the falls of the first pedals. The lesson of rising after falling forged his character. He started cycling thanks to his brother Rodrigo, who is part of the Astana, squad of the UCI World Tour platoon, who is his great inspiration. When he was 15, he joined the club Pedaling for Ventaquemada in Boyacá.

In 2019 and 2020 he participated in the team of the Cycling League of Boyacá. He had experience in the Vuelta del Futuro and the Vuelta del Porvenir. He loves to learn languages, a career that aspires to study. He is a very good dancer. Rancheras, llanera music and northern music cannot miss in their playlist. He grew up in a humble family, in the land of farmers and potato growers. He always remembers Sasha and Negro, his beloved dogs. He has learned a lot from the countryside, not to give up, the importance of being orderly, setting objectives and planning his activities. The peacock is the animal he likes the most. He sees life in colors, always positive and lively.

Height: 1.76 meters

Weight: 64 kilograms

Strengths: time triallist and climber

“I believe that in life you have to fight to be able to achieve what you wish. Good things hace a price and with sacrifice you can achieve it. I dream with making my way to Europe and participate in the most prestigious races in the world“

He is very thankful for being part of this project supported by one of his role models, Esteban Chaves. He feels very welcome and supported by the FUN structure. He loves the Gran Fondo Esteban Chaves and all the medical area of FUN. When he was four years old, he jumped for the first time in a bike and since then, his life changed. His passion for bikes overflows any reasoning.

He likes to learn new thing about bike mechanics because he loves this area. He is a charismatic, active and creative person and is passionate about sports. Being a sports specialist is other of his goals. His dream is to participate in the three major races and become World Champion. He admires his father, his uncle and his grandfather, who has been encouraging him to join cycling by giving him advises and supporting him unconditionally.

Height: 1.52 meters

Weight: 53 kilograms

Strengths: sprint, half-mountain and passer

«I live life to the fullest. My strength and motivation are my family that encourages me to make stronger, to never lower my arms».

When he was 2, he went to live in Turmequé with her mother, Gloria Jazmin, and her sister, Ivone Sofia. In his grandparents’ house, his childhood was surrounded by countryside, animals and smiles. He is studying 11th at the Industrial Technician of Turmequé. He was passionate about mopeds. However, in 2019 he decided to take on the personal challenge and go on the road to cycling. That’s why he signed up for the Pedaling for Ventaquemada club.

 He’s a friendly, kind young man. A career that catches his attention is systems engineering. Cycling likes to share, make friends and work by training like a pro. One of his favorite plans is cooking. He does very well with pasta in any of its formats. He is also a music lover. In the day he almost always tunes in some Ed Sheeran song. Romantic music, especially salsa, is danced by itself. He is very comfortable in the FUN team, in which he says, they have received him excellently. He admires Esteban Chaves and Mathieu Van der Poel. Also, to Nino Schurter, referent of MTB. Aspires to grow and to reach the World Tour.

Height: 1.82 meters

Weight: 67 kilograms

Strengths: time triallist, midex time trial and half-mountain

«Don’t give up or even give up»: Mario Benedetti

From a very young age in the mountains, he started his hobby of MTB. When he was 13, he wanted to try the route to broaden the horizon. His first team was the Club Real Restrepo, a municipality of Meta in which he has lived most of his life. After three years of process, he wanted more. Looking for more projection, in 2020 he scored in the selective team FUN Esteban Chaves. Thanks to his talent he was one of the selected.

Esteban Chaves has been their idol. He remembers as if it were yesterday, excited, the 20th stage of the Vuelta a España 2016 in which he snatched the third place from Contador. He feels joy and admiration for the work of the foundation. His mother, Yurany, is a professional accountant and a mathematics teacher. Her father, Ferney, is an agronomist. From both of them he has learned to live life intensely, to be kind, helpful and dedicated. He is interested in politics, art, history and anthropology. He would like to study sociology or public administration. He likes Salvador Dalí a lot and Las venas abiertas de América Latina (Eduardo Galeano) is one of his favorite books.

Height: 1.66 meters

Weight: 50 kilograms

Strengths: half- mountain

«I like to feel my body on the edge. Cycling teaches me that, in life, you have to strive, fight for what you want and have discipline to achieve it».

With a mountain bike he took part in his first race in which he was seventh. He was 11 years old. He felt that he had wood. In 2014 he joined the club Pedaleando por Ventaquemada. Later he joined the Colombielas Foundation in Sogamoso. Already with the fire of cycling making a dent in his heart, in 2018 and 2019 he represented the department of Boyacá with the team Boyacá is to live it. He participated in several editions of the Vuelta del Futuro and the Vuelta del Porvenir.

In his childhood he twice won, with courage and fighting spirit, a serious meningitis. It has been the most powerful life lesson. After leaving the hospital, the first time, he received from his parents, Irma Ruiz Rodríguez and Arturo Enrique Gómez Melo, his first bike of the color of the sky and the sea. Sport was one of his therapies. He helped her get by. A believer in God, He and life gave Him a new opportunity that today He gratefully seizes, sharing with His family and friends. He is a friendly, transparent and responsible person. He is interested in marketing as a study career. He wants to be a professional cyclist, exploit his talent and take his name to the top.

Height: 1.72 meters

Weight: 62 kilograms

Strengths: climber

“This team is very important to me. It is one step closer to accomplish my goals. I’m very thankful for this opportunity. There are many cyclists who come from little unknown towns like me. I want to show all my talent and potential that exists in those places“

He was born in Chiquizá, a little town in Boyacá in 2004 surrounded by a hardworking and humility family. His father, Elipio and his mother Ilda are the most important people in his life. Never give up and being disciplined and responsible has been their biggest lessons. He has a sister, Damaris, her friend and confidante. Since his early childhood he dreams with becoming a professional cyclist. When he was eleven, he joined the Escuela de Todos cycling academy in Samacá.

With the bless of his family and the earnings from his family’s milk business, José Álex got his first bike. He remembers it with great joy. In January 2019 he participated in the FUN’s trial outs and due to his dedication and talent, he was selected to join the team. Since then, he moved to Bogotá. Beside cycling, he enjoys to work in the country like milking and herding cuddle and harvesting potatoes. One of his best friends is Coposo, his dog which goes with him to any place he visits and when he gets back home form practice, says hi to him moving his tale.

Height: 1.75 meters

Weight: 61 kilograms

Strengths: road and climber

With a dream as small as it is, you can achieve great things. Nothing is impossible».

His parents were not given any hope of life by the doctor. But his mother’s sixth sense, Luz Alba Raba, ran counter to science. «God gave me a chance to live,» he says. He started riding bicycles at age 11 with his father, Jesus Anthony. Rolling, feeling free, distracted. He remembers that when they arrived from filming, they tuned in television the races of the moment. The ones that caught him the most, the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España. The enthusiasm grew like a snowball. Born premature, 6 months and 2 weeks.

Sport, with its pedagogical value, has also been a remarkable school to strengthen its character and take advantage of everything in life. He is aware of the importance of being responsible in training and helping his peers, of not deviating from the goal and of pursuing each goal. Studying a degree in sports to specialize and being a cycling coach is one of his goals. He likes to solve letter soups, and play dominoes and parquet. It was a crack solving the rubik cube. At its best he put it together in 40 seconds. His speed and skill are not just about the bike.

Height: 1.71 meters

Weight: 52 kilograms

Strengths: time triallits, half-mountain and passer

“Hay que tener constancia y disciplina. Perseverar hasta que los sueños se cumplan”.

He started riding a bicycle when he was 13. His first machine was a 26-wheel, heavy as a piano. In it he went to school every day on the sidewalk Juan Gordo, in Manta. At the beginning of the pandemic, in 2020, he signed up for the Chiquinquireños Talents club, his first experience in training and performance cycling before obtaining the place in our squad.

It’s engraved on the Sundays of his childhood. He would go to the market square, of course, by bike, to help his family sell the produce of the field he harvested: cilantro, tomato, bean, guatila, pumpkin. His favorite vegetables are broccoli and spinach. Honesty, respect and responsibility describe him full-bodied. He would like to be a teacher or study physical education. He dreams of going on the World Tour and being the best cyclist in the world. One of its most special places is the Alto del Chizo, 3 kilometers from your home. There he goes to train, jog and visit the Señor de los Milagros, to whom he entrusts his dreams. The most recent, being part of the FUN team Esteban Chaves.

Height: 1.64 meters

Weight: 55 kilograms

Strengths: half-mountain

“What catches me of cycling is the dedication and discipline needed to perform. It also gives you the chance to measure and over pass your own limits“

During his childhood in Cienaga, he used to help his parents in the country to milk and harvest potatoes. He is the second child of three siblings. Miguel highlights for his humor and adventurous spirit. His father José Faustino and his mother María Critina are the light of his life. He is a very humble and kind teenager. He started to ride bike when he was eight-year-old. This is his first year in the FUN team and during this short process he has learned that discipline and effort are very important to achieve goals and dreams. He loves to travel and get to know new people from different cultures.

One of his most remarkable trips was in 2012 when he went to San Andrés and saw the sea for the first time. His first experiences with the bike was genuine. He started with and old, heavy, made of iron bike that he inherits from his father. After saving for months and selling family ruffles, he got a new and less heavy road bike. He dreams with becoming a professional cyclist and compete with great people around historic places around the world.

Height: 1.65 meters

Weight: 52 Kilograms

Strengths: Climber, mixed time triallist

«What I like most about cycling are the emotions it arouses inside me. Give it all in the training to then see the results in the races and create unforgettable memories».

He grew up in Contratación, Santander, where Gabrielina and Édgar, his parents, are from. There were no paved roads for road cycling, so he ventured into moped riding. The third of five brothers, would like to study languages or humanities. In his childhood popular games, especially strikeouts, marked his days with his nights. This is his third year on the team. Today he is part of the U-18 category. This season he will live in France an internship in European cycling.

They have been enriching years. They have added experience, trust, friends and knowledge. He excels in climbing and in the time trial, which has improved a lot since joining the team. In 2019 he raced the Clásica Ramiriquí (5th), the Clásica Rubén Darío Gómez (4th) and the Vuelta del Futuro (11th overall), in which he was awarded the subtitle in the time trial. His aspiration is to reach the World Tour. Meanwhile, he continues his formative process with care and awareness.

Estatura: 1.65metros.

Peso: 45 Kilogramos.

Fortalezas: Escalador

“Well done hard work beats talent poorly worked“

His story in cycling started in the Volcán Andino Club in his hometown. He was nine years old when he rode his bike for the first time through the mountains of Nariño. With more kilometers he covered, more he liked it. Riding through his region has enhance his resistance, strength and endurance. His father Eduard Armando is a farmer and his mother Magaly del Carmen is a house wife. He knows how to harvest potatoes, corn, beans and wheat.

This is his third year in the FUN Team and his biggest achievements are: third place in the Vuelta al Futuro, champion of the Clásica de Soacha in 2018 and second place in the Clásica Esteban Chaves in 2019. Become a better person and learned how to be a better team mate are his biggest learnings in the FUN Team. He likes to share with his friends and play volleyball. He dreams with doing things right, improve his performance in cycling and join the national team and a professional international team. The goal is to make it to the World Tour. He admires Esteban Chaves because of his spirit of never giving up.

Height: 1.71 meters

Weight: 53 kilograms

Strengths: mountain and time triallist

«Today’s effort and discipline are tomorrow’s success».

He is a humble person, smiling and with a good sense of humor. For five years he participated in the club of Oso Sánchez. In 2020 he looked for a place in our squad, but was not selected. Wanting to write a new story he scored again. And with work and faith he did it. He is motivated and happy to have obtained the opportunity, sure of the quality jump that means for his sporting career. He wants to learn and live experiences that help him be better.

He is passionate about technology, robotics and electronics. He’d like to study mechatronic engineering. He also takes advantage of his free time painting and drawing comics. His favorite superhero as a child was Spider-Man. Today, with his bike, he climbs the mountains of his country weaving his desires. He rides from the age of 7. From that moment on, it brings him immense joy. He is thrilled to see people happy, especially his family.

Estatura: 1.66 metros.

Peso: 56 Kilogramos.

Fortalezas: Contrarreloj y media montaña

“I’m very happy for being part of this project which besides supporting young cyclists in his personal and professional development, they also support children with orthopedic problems and multiply smiles. It’s an honor“

Chosen to be part of our team in January 2020, since the under 18 category he has learned to be more discipline, patient, perseverant and supportive with his teammates. Knowing that the whole team has the same goal, becoming better human beings and athletes, make him fell around family.  One hobby of this young extrovert, friendly and dreamers is painting and drew Mandalas. He also like to read. One of his favorite authors is Mario Mendoza.

His parents are the engine of his life, who encourage him to do thing with love. His dream is to give them back all the things that they have given him and them being able to see him racing in Europe. Since he was a child, he felt a special connection with the bike, which he used to ride everywhere. He decided to devote his life to cycling one Sunday when he was riding to go to play soccer with his friends. He joined one groups of cyclists and they got to the Alto del Vino. One achievement that moved the deepest parts of his heart. 

Estatura: 1.69 metros.

Peso: 56 Kilogramos.

Fortalezas: Montaña, escalada.

«It’s difficult to defeat those who never give up».

Although he was born in Boyacá, he has lived in Villapinzón, Cundinamarca for 6 years. He started his way in cycling, a sport that he loves because he can travel on two wheels and make good friends at the Cómbita Por la dignidad de todos school. He is the third of five siblings. He is a warm and helpful person. He helps his father, José Luis, and his mother, María Luz Huertas, in the fields. In his family they have dedicated their whole lives to agriculture. The values he rescues from his upbringing are humility and respect.

Admire Nairo Quintana, Rigoberto Urán, Julian Allaphilippe and of course, Esteban Chaves. He feels an immense joy to belong to the team of the foundation. He has learned a lot, and highlights his organization and the good atmosphere. Their goals are to work as a team, to learn, to give the best in the competitions and to enjoy. They dream of running in Europe. In her free time, she likes to play football and video games and ride a horse. Her mare Golondrina is her close friend and confidant.

Height: 1.68

Weight: 55 kilograms Fortresses:

Strengths: time triallist and half-mountain