By winning the 2019 Tour de France, Egan Bernal became the race’s youngest champion in 110 years, and the first from the South American nation of Colombia. His victory brought decades of national yearning to fruition. Colombia has long been the only developing nation contending at cycling’s highest level. Yet its cycling sons are not the products of a rigorous sports system that spots them in childhood and nurtures them through the ranks to the pinnacle of globalised sport. They come from harder backgrounds, that surprise, shock – even, at times, enchant.
Colombia Es Pasión! explores the lives and dreams of each of the nation’s leading cyclists. Theirs are inspiring stories of overcoming poverty and violence, sickness and corruption, and achieving global sporting glory.
‘Takes you into the heart of both a sport and a country. The journey is well worth the effort’ Sunday Times
‘Wonderful’ Observer
‘Remarkable, a masterpiece’ Never Strays Far podcast
Colombia Es Pasión! explores the lives and dreams of each of the nation’s leading cyclists. Theirs are inspiring stories of overcoming poverty and violence, sickness and corruption, and achieving global sporting glory.
‘Takes you into the heart of both a sport and a country. The journey is well worth the effort’ Sunday Times
‘Wonderful’ Observer
‘Remarkable, a masterpiece’ Never Strays Far podcast
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Reviews
No outsider could be better equipped to write about cycling in Colombia than Rendell... extraordinary access to the major players in Colombian cycling... knowledgeable and passionate
Remarkable, a masterpiece, one of the best books written about cycling... The result of decades of knowing and understanding Colombia. Meticulously researched, and written with a lightness of touch. In particular, the dialogue is outstanding. Matt's best book - and he's written some stonking books...his love for the subject matter and his deep understanding shine through the pages
The 'Mr Colombia' of the cycling press [has] an infectious enthusiasm for [his] subject that the army of online encyclopedia devotees could only hope to capture... the book covers the darker moments, including the harrowing story of the murder of Rigoberto Urán's father
Enjoyable, authentic and thorough...this book will enrich your understanding of many of today's top riders and the long, arduous paths they've taken to reach the top of their sport
Matt Rendell's passion for Colombia is evident in this wonderful sequel to Kings of the Mountains - another of his cycling books about that country. Here, he explores a new generation who have beaten poverty, violence and corruption, and can now, via two wheels, tell a story of a more peaceful, happier nation
These real-life stories are humbling and inspiring, and if reading them doesn't turn you into a fan of Colombian cycling it can only be because you already were a fan or because your heart is made of stone. It's safe to say that when the next Grand Tour rolls around I will be rooting for the Colombians, each and every one
Matt Rendell's latest book Colombia Es Pasion! takes you into the heart of both a sport and a country. The journey is well worth the effort