Miguel Ángel López Moreno (born February 4, 1994) is a Colombian cyclist, who last rode for

UCI Continental team +Men Teams A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal. As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson (academic), Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who a ...

. In 2016, López won his first World Tour stage race at the

Tour de Suisse The Tour de Suisse () is an annual road cycling stage race. Raced over eight days, the event covers two weekends in June, and along with the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is considered a proving ground for the Tour de France, which is on the calend ...

and achieved his maiden grand tour stage victory the following season on Stage 11 of the

Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; ) is an annual stage race, multi-stage bicycle racing, bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Ital ...

, followed by another victory on Stage 15. He was the overall winner of the

Tour Colombia The Tour Colombia, called earlier Colombia Oro y Paz is a multi-day professional cycling race held annually in Colombia since 2018. It is on the UCI America Tour calendar as a category 2.1 event. Winners See also * Vuelta a Colombia ...

and the

Volta a Catalunya The Volta a Catalunya (; Tour of Catalonia, ) is a road bicycle race held annually in Catalonia, Spain. It is one of three World Tour stage races in Spain, together with the Vuelta a España and the Tour of the Basque Country. The race has had ...

in 2019. In 2020, he won stage 17 of the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...

Col de la Loze The Col de la Loze is a mountain pass in the French Alps, with an elevation of . A path up the mountain was opened in May 2019, and is the seventh-highest mountain pass in France. The ascent featured in the 2020 Tour de France, 2020 and 2023 To ...

, considered the

Queen stage This is a glossary of terms and jargon used in cycling, mountain biking, and cycle sport. For ''parts of a bicycle'', see List of bicycle parts. 0–9 ; 27.5 Mountain bike: A mountain bike with wheels that are approximately in diameter and ...

. In 2023, López was suspended by the UCI for an anti-doping rule violation, and in 2024 was found guilty for use and possession of Menotropin, a prohibited substance. He is currently suspended from competition until 24 July 2027.

Career

López was born in

Pesca Pesca is a town and municipality in the Colombian Department of Boyacá, part of the Sugamuxi Province, a subregion of Boyacá. The town is located in the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes at altitudes between and . Pesca is west from th ...

. López celebrated success in 2014, winning multiple stage races while still an amateur. In August he won the

Tour de l'Avenir Tour de l'Avenir () is a French road bicycle racing stage race, which started in 1961 as a race similar to the Tour de France and over much of the same course but for amateurs and for semi-professionals known as independents. Felice Gimondi, Joo ...

, the most prestigious under 23 cycling race. López also won the U23 version of the

Vuelta a Colombia The (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 Colombian Cyclin ...

Astana (2015–20)

2015

Following his success in 2014, López was granted a contract with , a

UCI WorldTeam A UCI WorldTeam (2015–present), previously UCI ProTeam (2005–2014), is the term used by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to name a cycling team of the highest category in professional road bicycle racing, road cycling, the UCI World Tou ...

. His success in stage races continued, finishing 4th overall and winning a stage at the

Vuelta a Burgos Vuelta Ciclista a Burgos is an elite professional road bicycle racing event held annually in the Burgos (province), Burgos province of Spain. The men's Vuelta a Burgos has been a multi-day stage race as part of the UCI Europe Tour since 2005. In ...

and 7th overall in the

2016

2016 was López's breakthrough season. He finished 4th in the

Tour de San Luis Tour or Tours may refer to: Travel * Tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which ...

, the first race of his season, winning Stage 6 and taking the young rider classification. One month later, López finished third and won a stage at the

Tour de Langkawi The Tour de Langkawi is a stage race, multiple stage bicycle racing, bicycle race held in Malaysia. It is named after the archipelago Langkawi, where the first edition started and finished. The race has been held annually since 1996, primarily ...

, an eight-day race held in

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

. The biggest win yet of his career came at the

, where he won the general classification ahead of

Ion Izagirre Ion Izagirre Insausti (born 4 February 1989) is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer and cyclo-cross rider from the Basque Country, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He is sometimes referred to as Jon Izaguirre, to retain the correct ...

and

Warren Barguil Warren Barguil (; born 28 October 1991) is a French cyclist who rides for UCI WorldTeam . He is best known for winning two mountain stages and the Mountains classification in the Tour de France, mountains classification of the 2017 Tour de France ...

. Following these successes, López was one of five riders selected to represent

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

in the road race at the Olympics. López started his first grand tour at the

where he was the chosen team leader but he was forced to abandon the race on Stage 6 following a crash on Stage 3.

2017

López was named on the start list for the

in a strong Astana line-up alongside former race winner

Fabio Aru Fabio Aru (born 3 July 1990) is an Italian former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2012 and 2021 for the , and squads. He hails from San Gavino Monreale in Sardinia, and is known for his climbing ability, which m ...

. On Stage 11, he took his first grand tour stage victory, distancing himself from race favourites

Chris Froome Christopher Clive Froome, (; born 20 May 1985) is a British professional road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI ProTeam . He has won seven Grand Tours: four editions of the Tour de France (in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017), one Giro d' ...

Vincenzo Nibali Vincenzo Nibali (; born 14 November 1984) is an Italian former professional road bicycle racer, who competed as a professional from 2005 to 2022. He is one of seven cyclists who have won all three of cycling's Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours i ...

and

Wilco Kelderman Wilco Kelderman (born 25 March 1991) is a Dutch professional road bicycle racer who rides for UCI WorldTeam . Professional career Rabobank teams (2010–2016) Born in Amersfoort, Kelderman finished in seventh position in the general classificati ...

in the last of the first-category climb up to the

Calar Alto Observatory The Calar Alto Observatory (Centro Astronómico Hispano en Andalucía or "Spanish Astronomical Centre in Andalusia") is an astronomical observatory located in Almería province in Spain on Calar Alto, a mountain in the Sierra de Los Filabre ...

. López's fine form in the mountains continued on Stage 14 to Sierra de la Pandera where he once again distanced the race leaders to finish second to

Rafał Majka Rafał Majka (Polish pronunciation: ; born 12 September 1989) is a Polish professional Road bicycle racing, road bicycle racer, who rides for UCI WorldTeam . He is known as a strong climber, and rose to prominence at the 2013 Giro d'Italia, wher ...

on the first ''especial'' category climb of the race. He went on to win the following Stage 15 after a solo escape on the summit finish, yet again distancing the race favorites for his second Vuelta stage victory.

2018

In May 2018, he was named in the startlist for the

Giro d'Italia The Giro d'Italia (; ), also known simply as the Giro, is an annual stage race, multiple-stage bicycle racing, bicycle race primarily held in Italy, while also starting in, or passing through, other countries. The first race was organized in 19 ...

; he finished in third place overall, behind

and

Tom Dumoulin Tom Dumoulin (; born 11 November 1990) is a retired Dutch professional road bicycle racer who last rode for UCI WorldTeam . He has won the Giro d'Italia and nine stages across the three Grand Tours, five medals in three different World Champion ...

. He also made the podium in the

, finishing third overall behind Simon Yates and

Enric Mas Enric Mas Nicolau () (born 7 January 1995) is a Spanish racing cyclist who rides for UCI WorldTeam . Mas is primarily a climber and general classification contender. He has found the most success at the Vuelta a España, where he won a stage in 2 ...

2019

López won stage 4 and the general classification in March's

. López competed in the

, finishing seventh overall and winning the

young rider classification Young rider classification () in a cycling jersey competition in multi-day stage race events, such as the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and many others, is an award for the current leader by overall time for riders below the age of twenty-six years ...

for a second time in a row. During stage 20 of the race, López was brought down in an incident with a fan about from the finish. He proceeded to hit the spectator four times, including knocking the hat off his head. While the regulations of the sport's governing body, the

Union Cycliste Internationale The Union Cycliste Internationale (; UCI; ) is the world governing body for sports cycling and oversees international competitive cycling events. The UCI is based in Aigle, Switzerland. The UCI issues racing licenses to riders and enforces di ...

(UCI), call for disqualification of a rider who assaults someone during a race, the race jury decided against applying a punishment to López. He later apologised for the incident, but stated that riders should receive more respect from the crowd. One day later, after the Giro had ended, the UCI announced that they were investigating the lack of a penalty for his behaviour.

2020

In August 2020, he was named in the startlist for the

. López won stage 17, the queen stage, finishing atop the

. Near the end of the stage and at the steepest part of the climb – reaching gradients of up to 24% – López and

Sepp Kuss Sepp Kuss (born September 13, 1994) is an American professional cyclist who rides for UCI WorldTeam . He won the 2023 Vuelta a España, becoming the first American to win a Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tour since Chris Horner in 2013 Vuelta a Espa ...

caught the final breakaway rider

Richard Carapaz Richard Antonio Carapaz Montenegro (born 29 May 1993) is an Ecuadorian professional road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Carapaz won the 2019 Giro d'Italia, becoming the first Ecuadorian rider to win the race. In July 2021 ...

. Kuss waited up for his leader

Primož Roglič Primož Roglič (; born 29 October 1989) is a Slovenian professional road bicycle racing, racing cyclist who rides for UCI WorldTeam . A former ski jumping, ski jumper, Roglič switched to cycling after an accident suffered at Planica. Despite b ...

and López soloed to victory ahead of him and

Tadej Pogačar Tadej Pogačar (; born 21 September 1998) is a Slovenia, Slovenian professional road bicycle racing, cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . His victories include three Tour de France, Tours de France (2020 Tour de France, 2020, 2021 Tou ...

, and moved into third in the general classification – a position that he was hoping to keep for the rest of the race. He held that position until the penultimate day, when he lost three or more minutes to the three riders immediately behind him in the overall standings, dropping to a final position of sixth.

Movistar Team

After six years with , López signed a one-year contract with the , for the 2021 season. In August, the extended his contract to the end of 2023. During the

he finished second of the overall contenders in the first summit finish, on the third stage, at Picón Blanco. He ran as high as third overall in the first half of the race, trailing

, and teammate

. He once again won the queen stage of a Grand Tour, winning the eighteenth stage that finished at El Gamoniteiru, the highest mountain in the

autonomous community The autonomous communities () are the first-level administrative divisions of Spain, created in accordance with the Spanish Constitution of 1978, with the aim of guaranteeing limited autonomy to the nationalities and regions that make up Sp ...

Asturias Asturias (; ; ) officially the Principality of Asturias, is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensive with the provinces of Spain, province of Asturias and contains some of the territory t ...

. López attacked with remaining and chased down the sole leader

David de la Cruz David de la Cruz Melgarejo (born 6 May 1989) is a Spanish cyclist, who currently rides for UCI ProTeam . Career De la Cruz was born in Sabadell. On 28 August 2016, de la Cruz scored the biggest win of his career to that point, when he won stage ...

; he ultimately won the stage by fourteen seconds from Roglič. During the penultimate stage, he missed a move among the other general classification contenders and found himself stuck in a group that had fallen behind. López abandoned the race a few kilometres later despite several team members encouraging him to continue. López later apologised for the manner of his withdrawal, but two weeks later, López and agreed to a mutual termination of his contract as at the end of the month. He later described Mas as a "selfish person" and the team atmosphere was "always very tense". The incident featured as part of the third season of '' The Least Expected Day'', a documentary series about the team.

Return to Astana

In October 2021, López signed a two-year contract with the team, later renamed , from the 2022 season. He finished third overall at the

Vuelta a Andalucía The Vuelta a Andalucía (Tour of Andalusia) or Ruta del Sol (Route of the Sun) is a regional Spanish road bicycle race first held in 1925. Since 2005, it has been a 2.1 category race on the UCI Europe Tour. The race became a part of the new UCI ...

, and took his first victory of the season at the

Tour of the Alps The Tour of the Alps is an annual professional road bicycle racing, cycling stage race in Italy and Austria. First held in 1962, it was named Giro del Trentino () until 2016, and run over four stages in the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol region o ...

, winning the penultimate stage that finished at the

Grossglockner The Großglockner ( ), or just Glockner, is, at 3,798 metres above the Adriatic (12,461 ft), the highest mountain in Austria and highest mountain in the Alps east of the Brenner Pass. It is part of the larger Glockner Group of the Hohe Ta ...

. He was part of the at the

, but withdrew from the race on its first Italian stage, stage four. As the end of the

2022 Tour de France The 2022 Tour de France was the 109th edition of the Tour de France. It started in Copenhagen, Denmark on 1 July 2022 and ended with the final stage on the Champs-Élysées, Paris on 24 July 2022. Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard () won the General clas ...

neared, López, who was not in the race that year, was stopped by police at a

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

airport and questioned in a non blood doping drug trafficking investigation. Team Astana Qazaqstan issued a very surprised tweet on July 22, 04:02 that Lopez had been suspended by the team until a clarification was made regarding a Spanish professor he has had contact with. Initial reports that López himself was being investigated were denied by Spain's Guardia Civil police force. As of 12 December, 2022 López's contract with Team Astana Qazaqstan was terminated.

Doping

On 25 July 2023, it was announced that López has been provisionally suspended due to a potential anti-doping rule violation for use and possession of a prohibited substance in the weeks prior to the 2022 Giro d’Italia. On 29 May 2024, the

UCI UCI most commonly refers to: * University of California, Irvine, a public university in Irvine, California, United States * Union Cycliste Internationale, the world governing body for the sport of cycling UCI may also refer to: * Uganda Cancer In ...

Anti-Doping Tribunal found López guilty of anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) for use and possession of a prohibited substance ( Menotropin). He was banned from competing for four years, inclusive of his previous suspension. His suspension remains in force until 24 July 2027. After the ruling, López quickly filed an appeal with the

Court of Arbitration for Sport The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS; , TAS) is an international body established in 1984 to settle disputes related to sport through arbitration. Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland, and its courts are located in New York City, Sy ...

, claiming his suspension was based on "manipulated phone call transcripts." In May 2025, his appeal was rejected.

Major results

;2014 : 1st Jersey yellow

Overall

::1st

Mountains classification ::1st Stage 6 : 1st Jersey yellow

Overall

Vuelta de la Juventud de Colombia The Vuelta de la Juventud de Colombia is a road cycling race held annually since 1968 throughout Colombia. It is considered to be the under-23 version of the Vuelta a Colombia. Many successful professional cyclists won the race early in their caree ...

::1st Stage 4 : 1st Jersey yellow

Overall Clásica de Samacá ::1st Stages 1 & 2 : 1st Jersey yellow

Overall Clásica Aguazul ::1st Stages 1 & 2 : 1st Stage 1 Clásica Fusagasugá : 4th

Time trial In many racing sports, an sportsperson, athlete (or occasionally a team of athletes) will compete in a time trial (TT) against the clock to secure the fastest time. The format of a time trial can vary, but usually follow a format where each athle ...

, National Under-23 Road Championships ;2015 (1 pro win) : 4th Overall

::1st

Young rider classification ::1st Stages 2 ( TTT) & 4 : 7th Overall

;2016 (4) : 1st Jersey yellow

Overall

: 1st

Milano–Torino Milano–Torino is a semi classic European single day cycling race, between the northern Italian cities of Milan and Turin over a distance of 199 kilometres. The event was first run in 1876 making it the oldest classic race in the world. The ...

: 3rd Overall

::1st Stage 4 : 4th

, National Road Championships : 4th Overall

::1st

Young rider classification ::1st Stage 6 ;2017 (4) : 2nd Overall

Tour of Austria The Tour of Austria () is a stage race, stage cycling race held in Austria. From 1949 to 1995 it was a race for amateur cyclists, turning into a professional event in 1996. In 2005 and 2006 it was organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour ...

::1st Stage 4 : 4th Overall

::1st Stage 5 : 8th Overall

::1st

Young rider classification Young rider classification () in a cycling jersey competition in multi-day stage race events, such as the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and many others, is an award for the current leader by overall time for riders below the age of twenty-six years ...

::1st Stages 11 & 15 ;2018 (3) : 2nd Overall

::1st

Points classification ::1st Stage 3 : 2nd Overall

Tour of Oman The Tour of Oman is an annual professional road bicycle racing stage race held in Oman since 2010, as part of the UCI Asia Tour through 2019 and on the UCI ProSeries since 2022. It was scheduled to become part of the new UCI ProSeries in 2020, b ...

::1st

Young rider classification ::1st Stage 5 : 2nd

: 3rd Overall

::1st

: 3rd Overall

Abu Dhabi Tour The Abu Dhabi Tour was a men's Road bicycle racing#Stage races, cycling stage race that took place in the United Arab Emirates, held annually between 2015 Abu Dhabi Tour, 2015 and 2018 Abu Dhabi Tour, 2018. In 2019, the Abu Dhabi Tour merged with ...

::1st

Young rider classification : 3rd Overall

::1st Stage 2 ;2019 (3) : 1st MaillotVolta

Overall

::1st

Young rider classification ::1st Stage 4 : 1st Jersey orange

Overall

::1st

Young rider classification : 2nd

, National Road Championships : 5th Overall

::1st Stage 1 ( TTT) :: Jersey yellow number

Combativity award Stage 1 & Overall ::Held Jersey red

after Stages 1, 5 & 7 ::Held Jersey white

after Stages 1–12 & 18–19 : 7th Overall

::1st

;2020 (2) : 3rd Overall

Volta ao Algarve Volta may refer to: Persons * Alessandro Volta (1745–1827), Italian physicist and inventor of the electric battery, count and eponym of the volt * Giovanni Volta (1928–2012), Italian Roman Catholic bishop * Giovanni Serafino Volta (1764–1 ...

::1st Stage 4 : 5th Overall

Critérium du Dauphiné The Critérium du Dauphiné, before 2010 known as the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, is an annual cycle sport, cycling road bicycle racing, road race in the Dauphiné region in the southeast of France. The race is run over eight days during ...

: 6th Overall

::1st Stage 17 ;2021 (4) : 1st Jersey yellow

Overall

::1st Stage 3 : 1st

Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenge The Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenge is a professional road bicycle racing, cycle road race first held in 2019, which takes place between Vaison-la-Romaine and Mont Ventoux. The event was classified by the UCI as category 1.1 event on the UCI Eu ...

: 1st Stage 18

: 6th Overall

;2022 (1) : 1st Stage 4

: 3rd Overall

: 3rd Overall
Vuelta a Burgos Vuelta Ciclista a Burgos is an elite professional road bicycle racing event held annually in the Burgos (province), Burgos province of Spain. The men's Vuelta a Burgos has been a multi-day stage race as part of the UCI Europe Tour since 2005. In ...
::~~1st Mountains classification~~ : 4th Overall
Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; ) is an annual stage race, multi-stage bicycle racing, bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Ital ...
: 4th
Giro del Veneto The Giro del Veneto is a semi classic European bicycle race held in the region of Veneto, Italy. Since 2023, the race has been on the UCI ProSeries calendar, having previously been a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits ...
;~~2023 (3)~~ : 1st
Time trial In many racing sports, an sportsperson, athlete (or occasionally a team of athletes) will compete in a time trial (TT) against the clock to secure the fastest time. The format of a time trial can vary, but usually follow a format where each athle ...
, National Road Championships : 1st Overall
Vuelta a San Juan The Vuelta a San Juan is an annual road cycling stage race held in Argentine. Typically consisting of seven stages, beginning and ending in San Juan, the race was first held in 1982. In 2017, the race was classified as a 2.1 event by the Unio ...
::~~1st Stage 5~~ : 1st Overall
Vuelta a Colombia The (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 Colombian Cyclin ...
::~~1st Points classification~~ ::~~1st Mountains classification~~ ::1st Prologue, Stages 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 & 9 (
ITT ITT may refer to: Communication *Tank phone, Infantry-Tank Telephone, a device allowing infantrymen to speak to the occupants of armoured vehicles. Mathematics *Intuitionistic type theory, other name of Martin-Löf Type Theory *Intensional typ ...
) : ~~1st Overall Vuelta a Catamarca~~ ::~~1st Mountains classification~~ ::~~1st Stage 3~~ : 1st Stage 1
Tour of the Gila The Tour of the Gila is a cycling stage race for both men and women located in New Mexico, United States. It is sponsored by the component maker SRAM. The "Gila" began in 1987. Beginning in 2012, the men's Gila has been added to the UCI Americ ...
: ~~2nd Overall Vuelta Bantrab~~ ::~~1st Mountains classification~~ ::~~1st Stages 4 & 5~~ : 2nd Overall
Joe Martin Stage Race Joe Martin Stage Race was a road cycling stage race held annually in Fayetteville, Arkansas between 1978 and 2023. It was part of the UCI America Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were intr ...
::1st Stage 3 (
ITT ITT may refer to: Communication *Tank phone, Infantry-Tank Telephone, a device allowing infantrymen to speak to the occupants of armoured vehicles. Mathematics *Intuitionistic type theory, other name of Martin-Löf Type Theory *Intensional typ ...
) : 2nd Time trial,
Pan American Road Championships The Pan American Road Championships are the continental cycling championships for road bicycle racing held annually for member nations of the Pan American Cycling Confederation. Riders competing in the Pan American Cycling Championships are sel ...
: ~~4th Overall Vuelta a Formosa~~

General classification results timeline

References

External links

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lopez, Miguel Angel 1994 births Living people Colombian male cyclists Olympic cyclists for Colombia Cyclists at the 2016 Summer Olympics Colombian Vuelta a España stage winners Colombian Tour de France stage winners Cyclists from Boyacá Department 21st-century Colombian sportsmen Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for Colombia Central American and Caribbean Games silver medalists for Colombia Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in cycling