BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS. Paula Patiño’s presence in the Movistar Team opens new horizons for Latin America’s women’s cycling. This 24-year-old youngster from La Ceja, in the Antioquia department, has earned a place in the big leagues after becoming the biggest hopeful in her country. Her climbing skills and vast margin for progression in all terrains certainly make her one to follow.

A ‘GRANDE GIRO’ IN 2020. Her career so far, when it comes to individual merit, is inevitably linked to a sensational performance as Movistar Team leader in the 2020 Giro Rosa. She finished 8th overall after nine days of big efforts crowned with a long-range attack, a break almost from the bang, which got her into the upper end of the standings. Even if 2021 was less brilliant for her, his role turning towards more of a supporting one, she still had the chance to compete at her first Olympic Games -scoring a notable 22nd in the Tokyo road race- and take 2nd in the Colombian road race championships.

RELIABLE GAMBLE. Brought into competitive cycling at the age of 13 by Hernando Gaviria -father of Fernando- in La Ceja, Antioquia, Paula later cut her teeth at the UCI’s World Cycling Centre in Aigle (Switzerland), an initiative for the development of young riders in growing cycling countries. That solid preparation base was a guarantee for a signing him at only the second year of existence of the Movistar Team in the women’s peloton. “Even in my happiest dreams I couldn’t hope of getting up to this place,” described Paula in 2018, maybe not knowing he would wear the jersey for a good chunk of her life -has a contract through the end of 2023-.