It was 2005, Nairo Quintana surprised in Boyacá for fighting hand in hand with the professional cyclists who went out to ride near Cómbita or Arcabuco, the young man of only 15 years old did it with an iron bicycle. Immediately Mr. Rusbel Achagua, sports coordinator of Arcabuco, He decided to bring it closer because they were preparing a cycling team together with the mayor’s office. What a reinforcement they found.
Nairo Quintana arrived as always “he was quiet and calm, he only spoke with his legs,” recalls the coach and also compadre of the winner of the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España. He immediately stood out and several Boyacá teams began to want his talent. He had struggled since he was little and that is why, despite the strong rumor of his retirement, Don Rusbel knew inside that he would not give up so easily.
He believes that the message that Nairo Quintana gave in which he assured that he will continue to fight to stay in the eliteIt is something powerful, especially for the new generations who see it as an example to follow.. The trainer confessed in Diario AS that the 33-year-old cyclist has always been very aware of young people and that he recently went out to ride with several to show them his training. He demanded and also congratulated them. In addition, Rusbel says that he also teaches them as coaches due to his experience in Europe.
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The announcement to continue fighting and the beginnings of Nairo
He knew he wouldn’t give up. “The news is very good, because we all believed that Nairo was going to retire from cycling, but knowing him and the constant struggle he has had since he was little, I knew he would not give up so easily.”
The beginnings and the way you met him: “My name is Rusbel Achagua Acero, I am from the municipality of Arcabuco, Boyacá, I started as a sports coordinator, then I wanted to start with other sports that were not traditional, we did the survey through the educational institutions and five boys came out, I was not yet Nairo, but it so happened that he did not have the money to travel by bus and that is why he went by bicycle, one day I called him and asked him if he wanted to come work with us, that was in the year 2005″.
The first advice to Nairo: “He was very quiet and very calm, he only spoke with his legs and you could see that he was going to be a great cyclist. He is going to be 33 years old and he continues to show it ”.
His first steel horse and unforgettable anecdote
What was Nairo like in his first steel horses?: “He is a very humble person who has always liked to work, he always helped his parents, he was a warrior to get ahead. Since he began to grab his steel horse, he could see the desire to take on that world and be able to get ahead and help more cyclists. Since that time when we began to be part of Nairo Quintana’s development, he has always been grateful for it, just as we are compadres and have always been in contact with him. He has always had that tenacity to keep fighting despite the odds.
Nairo’s first bike: “At that time it is said that they were made of scrap, made of pure iron or wires that we called them. They were strong bikes, there were already aluminum or carbon ones, but it wasn’t enough to buy a bike like that. He had a very heavy bicycle, but despite that he joined the lots of cyclists of the time, they were included in the group and they were maintained. The mentality is very important, just as he said, as long as his legs and head work, he will be in favor of his career and children in Latin America because he has many followers ”.
The importance of Nairo’s message and finding similar talent
The power of Nairo’s message: “Within the same schools, it happens that a cyclist does badly in a race or in training and they already want to give up or retire, but cycling is about taking it day by day, fighting, there are days of days, good days and others not so much, but that tenacity that Nairo has to keep fighting and not give up due to more adversities and no matter how much they put up walls we must overcome them”.
Find More Nairos in Colombia: “In Colombia there are many Nairos, but sometimes there is a lack of economic resources to be able to continue with the boys day by day. Nairo has helped us, he is very aware of all the teams in Boyacá and Colombia. He is the ambassador of a program called Boyacá Race of Champions where many cyclists who have gone to Europe have already emerged, sometimes the support of private companies and the government is lacking.
Nairo and his role as a trainer
Nairo and his role as trainer with the new jewels: “For me it is very satisfying that Nairo is here with us, eight days ago we went out to train with him and with some guys from here in Arcabuco that he is preparing. He goes out with them, tells them how to do things, we are also learning from the cars, Nairo has learned a lot from Europe and we are learning. For the boys it is very nice to be training with him. Nairo is very serious in his training and he likes that they do things very well and when he pulls his ears he does it and when they do things in a great way he congratulates them, that is Nairo ”.
Triumph that remembers the most from Nairo: “We were the team of the Arcabuco mayor’s office, we had four cyclists and we went to do a classic called the Boyacá sports club that is organized by Don Serafín Bernal, squads came from all over. In the first stage a boy beat us by a second, the next day Nairo was told that we had to snatch that lead because we were going through Arcabuco and his parents’ house. He followed instructions and got away in a big way, took the lead from him and won with a good lead. That day he told me that if it went wrong, he would take off my leash and punish him, all in the form of a joke ”.