The Clásico RCN (Spanish for ''RCN Classic'') is an annual

cycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...

road race that takes place over many stages through different regions of

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

during October. It is organized by the

Colombian Cycling Federation The Colombian Cycling Federation or FCC () is the national governing body of cycle racing in Colombia. The FCC is a member of the UCI and COPACI. External links * Cycle racing organizations Cycle racing in Colombia Cycling Cy ...

. The event is sponsored by Radio Cadena Nacional, which is one of the oldest and largest radio networks in Colombia, and by a network of Colombian business in Medellín "Empresas Públicas de Medellín". The Clásico RCN and the

Vuelta a Colombia The Vuelta a Colombia (Spanish for ''Tour of Colombia'') is an annual cycling road race, run over many stages throughout different regions in Colombia and sometimes Venezuela and Ecuador during the first days of August. It is organized by the ...

are the most important stage races in

History

The first event was held in 1961 and was won by Rubén Darío Gómez. Many well-known Colombian cyclists have won the event, including

Martín Emilio Rodríguez Martín Emilio Rodríguez Gutiérrez (born 14 April 1942), known by the nickname Cochise, is a retired Colombian road racing cyclist, road and track cyclist. Cochise started his first Vuelta a Colombia in 1961. He would win his first Vuelta a ...

, Fabio Parra, Luis Herrera and Rafael Antonio Niño. During the 1980s, the Clásico RCN held several "open" events in which professional cycling teams from Europe came and competed in the race. It has been written that the reason for this was for Elite professionals in Europe to get altitude training in the early season in Colombia. Some of the teams competing in the Clásico RCN during the eighties included

Peugeot–Shell–Michelin Peugeot team was a French professional cycling team that promoted and rode Peugeot racing bikes. It is listed as the most successful cycling team of all time, on cyclingranking.com, with a large margin on the second placed team, Alcyon. Hist ...

Renault–Elf–Gitane Renault () was a French professional cycling team that existed from 1978 to 1985. The team cycled on and promoted Gitane racing bikes. History The team was created in 1978 after the Renault auto group purchased the Gitane bicycle manufacturer ...

Sem–France Loire The Sem–Loire France cycling team was a French professional cycling team that existed for four years from 1980 to 1983. Although a small team, directeur sportif Jean de Gribaldy directed the team to success in various classic races and in stag ...

La Vie Claire La Vie Claire was a professional road bicycle racing team named after its chief sponsor La Vie Claire, a chain of health food stores. History The La Vie Claire team was created in 1984 by Bernard Tapie and directed by Paul Köchli. The tea ...

, Zor and

Reynolds Reynolds may refer to: Places Australia *Hundred of Reynolds, a cadastral unit in South Australia *Hundred of Reynolds (Northern Territory), a cadastral unit in the Northern Territory of Australia United States * Reynolds, Mendocino County, Calif ...

which resulted in stage wins by

Pascal Simon Pascal Simon (born 27 September 1956) is a retired French road racing cyclist. A native of Mesnil St. Loup, he was a professional cyclist from 1979 to 1991. Pascal was the oldest of four brothers that all became professional cyclists: Régis, ...

Laurent Fignon Laurent Patrick Fignon (; 12 August 1960 – 31 August 2010) was a French professional road bicycle racer who won the Tour de France in 1983 and 1984 and the Giro d'Italia in 1989. He is former FICP World No. 1 in 1989. He nearly captured ...

Bernard Hinault Bernard Hinault (; born 14 November 1954) is a French former professional road cyclist. With 147 professional victories, including five times the Tour de France, he is often named among the greatest cyclists of all time. In his career, Hinault ...

, Charly Mottet and

Martial Gayant Martial Gayant (born 16 November 1962 in Chauny) is a former French cyclist, now a team captain of . In 1988, Gayant came second in the World road Championships. Major results Source: ;1981 * GP des Nations, amateurs ;1984 * Giro d'Italia: s ...

. In the 1992 edition of the Clásico RCN, the and

Festina Festina F16184 Festina is a Spanish watch brand. In 1985, businessman Miguel Rodríguez acquired Festina, a brand founded in Switzerland in 1902, thus forming the ''Festina-Lotus group.'' History Festina was created in 1902 by the Stüdi f ...

cycling teams competed where Sean Kelly,

Claudio Chiappucci Claudio Chiappucci (born 28 February 1963 in Uboldo, Varese, Lombardy) is a retired Italian professional cyclist. He was on the podium three times in the Tour de France general classification: second in 1990, third in 1991 and second again in 199 ...

Thomas Wegmüller Thomas Wegmüller (born 28 September 1960) is a former Swiss racing cyclist. He rode in the Tour de France, the Vuelta a España, won a stage in the 1989 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré and was named the Most Combative rider on the Champs-Élys� ...

won stages of the event. In the history of the event, there has been two times when the overall winner was later disqualified for doping. This happened in 1971 when Álvaro Pachón Morales was disqualified, and the win was given to Rafael Antonio Niño, and also in 1991 when Pablo Emilio Wilches Tumbia was disqualified with the win going to Fabio Hernán Rodríguez Hernández. There was a tragic accident in the 1985 edition of the race when Jorge Iván Ramírez fell during a stage and died later. Although the Clásico RCN now occurs in October, past events have taken place in March, April, May and August. It began as a two-day event, but its duration and distance were increased and, in 2000, it consisted of ten stages.

Past winners

References

External links

Official site of Clasico RCN
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clasico Rcn Cycle races in Colombia Recurring sporting events established in 1961 Men's road bicycle races 1961 establishments in Colombia Super Prestige Pernod races