Olympic silver medal and Giro d’Italia white jersey stand out in Colombian’s best year to date
Rigoberto Urán has declared himself “very happy” with his 2012 season; his second at Team Sky. With all eyes on the team’s British stars - particularly on Bradley Wiggins’ Tour de France victory - the 25-year-old Colombian’s results almost went unnoticed, but an Olympic silver medal - taken in the London 2012 road race - and the white jersey of the Giro d’Italia represent his best ever year to date.
“I’m very very happy with how the season has gone,” Urán admitted on Team Sky’s website. “It’s been good from start to finish with some consistent results.
“The Giro was a highlight for me and a great moment – to be able to compete over three weeks and emerge with a top 10 and the white jersey was special.”
Urán has suffered with allergies over the years, but he credits getting over those problems as a key factor in his ability to take such good results this year.
“It’s definitely satisfying. The allergy problem got a lot better this year and you could see that on the bike. I was able to get some big results because of it.”
Along with compatriot Sergio Henao, Urán rode strongly at the Giro d’Italia, and both finished inside the top ten [Urán seventh, Henao ninth - ed] while at the Vuelta a España he was instrumental in securing fourth place for Chris Froome. His performances were far from restricted to stage races however, with his Olympic silver medal - as he made the decisive late break with Kazakhstan’s eventual winner Alexandre Vinokourov - added to a late-season victory in the Gran Piemonte and a third place in il Lombardia.
“When I feel like I am in good condition it doesn't matter to me whether it is a one-day race, or taking place over three weeks,” he explained.
Urán will be at Team Sky for a third year in 2013, and hopes that he will see another successful season. Exactly how this will be structured has yet to be decided however, with the team’s calendar yet to be worked out.
“What races I do obviously depends on the calendar the team sets for me,” he explained. “I'm looking forward to a good rest and ready for some renewed success with Team Sky. Hopefully I'll have a very similar programme to this year though.
In the meantime, Urán has taken the rare opportunity to spend some time in South America, and some relaxation before his preparation for 2013 begins.
“During the off-season I have returned home to Colombia,” he said. “The village I live in is situated 2000 metres above sea level, so even when you are not training hard it is great to stay fit.”