Strong field and heat challenging for EPM-UNE in the Tour of Utah

EPM-UNE before Stage 4, Tour of Utah

EPM-UNE, a continental team based in Colombia, raced well in the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah, placing three riders in the top 30 in the final general classification. The team’s lowest positioned rider on GC was Robigson Oyola in 47^th place out of the 93 riders that completed the race.

Daved Towle speaks with Camilo Castiblanco during sign-in for Stage 1 Tour of Utah

Like most teams EPM-UNE believed the last two days of the race would be the most important for results. Camilo Castiblanco said he tried for a top finish on the Stage 5 climb up to Snowbird, but couldn’t match the strength of the Garmin-Sharp team. He said the field’s overall strength challenged his team in general in Utah.

EPM-UNE aimed for a stage win on the final day which included the toughest ascent in the event. Castiblanco launched out of the break-way on the first climb and gained a gap of 35 seconds on the group behind him. He lost his lead when the break caught him on the descent. Teammate Francisco Colorado was the first EPM-UNE rider to cross the Park City finish line, in 16^th place. The team raced aggressively during the week as its riders typically featured in break-aways.

Francisco Colorado (EPM-UNE center) after the Stage 6 finish in Park City, with Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Sharp) and George Bennett (Radioshack-Nissan-Trek)

When asked what he enjoyed so far about racing in the U.S. for the first time, Castiblanco said he liked the mountains. The heat though, was another story. “In Colombia we have a lot of mountains and good altitude, so here it is the same…In my town in Colombia we have only about 20 degrees Celsius, so here is very hot for me and my team,” he said. [20 degress Celsius is 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures reached 35 Celsius in Utah. — ed.]

Camilo Castiblanco (EPM-UNE) at the Tour of Utah

Castiblanco said he’s looking forward to racing in Colorado in the USA Pro Challenge. With 877 kilometers of Utah roads for preparation and a couple of weeks’ adjustment to being in the U.S., he feels the team can hope for better results in Colorado.

Stage 1 Tour of Utah break-away on first KOM, Ben Jacques-Maynes (Bissell), Edward Beltran (EPM-UNE), Caleb Fairly (SpiderTech), David Williams (Competitive Cyclist) (l to r)

EPM-UNE in the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah and the USA Pro Cycling Challenge

Rafael Infantino

Camilo Castiblanco

Francisco Colorado

Ramiro Rincon

Robigson Oyola

Fredy Piamonte

Edward Beltran

Javier Gomez