6 unknown South American prospects
Riders from Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil and Argentina who you should probably learn more about
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South America has a rich history in the sport of cycling, especially in Colombia where many great champions have emerged from over the past half a century or more.
More recently, the sport has spread across the continent and nations such as Ecuador, Argentina and Venezuela have enjoyed some success on the international stage.
Access to the sport is not easy for South Americans, who have to travel thousands of miles across the Atlantic to compete at the highest levels in Europe. Federations can often be political in who they give opportunities to, and those top-tier racing opportunities are few and far between, especially outside of Colombia.
What we are seeing now is a spreading out of cycling’s popularity in the continent. Several nations have professional riders doing well in Europe in both the men’s and women’s pelotons. The likes of Chile, Uruguay and others are fairly new players on the big stage and have several professionals. This was unheard of 10 or 15 years ago.
The result is that there is now a wealth of young talent moving through the ranks, and commonly used routes through Spain or Portugal have become effective pathways into the sport. South America is set to become a major force in the sport.
Here are the six top prospects coming through from South America. Expect some of them to be making a big impact on the sport over the coming seasons.
Luciana Osorio
This 17-year-old Colombian has won pretty much all there is to win at the youth and junior levels in South America.
Now in her second junior season, Osorio has won both the junior road and TT titles at the Pan-American championships twice, winning the races against the clock in dominant fashion and sprinting to her road race victories.
She also got her first, brief taste of Europe last year, placing a very solid 20th at the World Championships time-trial and 43rd in the road race in horrendous conditions.
Before all that, Osorio won the Vuelta del Futuro in Colombia in 2023, beating Juliana Londono, who is two years her senior and now making waves as part of the Picnic-PostNL WorldTour squad. She is also a decorated track rider, perhaps giving a nod to her future in the sport as a top sprinter.
This is a big talent now desperately in need of European experience.
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