Carlos Betancur Explained

Carlos Betancur should not be confused with Carlos Betancourt (disambiguation).

Carlos Betancur
Fullname:Carlos Alberto Betancur Gómez
Nickname:La Ronca, Bananito
Birth Date:13 October 1989
Birth Place:Ciudad Bolívar, Colombia
Weight:600NaN0
Discipline:Road
Role:Rider
Ridertype:Climber
Amateuryears1:2021
Proyears1:2011–2012
Proyears2:2013–2015
Proteam2:[1]
Proyears3:2016–2020
Proteam3:[2]
Majorwins:Grand Tours

Giro d'Italia

Young rider classification (2013)Stage races

Paris–Nice (2014)Single-day races and Classics

Giro dell'Emilia (2011)

Carlos Alberto Betancur Gómez (born 13 October 1989) is a Colombian road racing cyclist, who most recently rode for Colombian amateur team .[3]

Career

In 2010 he won the Girobio stage race; the amateur version of the Giro d'Italia; and in 2011 he won his first professional race at the Giro dell'Emilia.

Betancur had been scheduled to join the team in 2012,[4] but remained with .[5] Betancur left at the end of the 2012 season, and joined on a two-year contract from the 2013 season onwards.[1]

Ag2r–La Mondiale (2013–15)

He started his 2013 season with a seventh-place finish at the Tour of the Basque Country, including a second place on stage 3.[6] He went on to light up the Ardennes Classics, coming 3rd at La Flèche Wallonne after an early attack with just over 500m (1,600feet) to go[7] and scoring a 4th place in Liège–Bastogne–Liège, where it was his attack which created the final select group of six who contested the finish.[8]

After a 12th-place finish at the Tour de Romandie, Betancur went in to the Giro d'Italia as an outsider for a top 10 GC position. Initially things went poorly, as he lost time on the descent of stage 3 and on the long time trial of stage 8, by the end of which he was down in 28th position, 6:08 down on the leader and eventual winner Nibali.[9] However, following second places on stages 9,[10] 10,[11] and 15,[12] and some brilliant performances in the other mountain stages, he worked himself up to 7th place and just two seconds off the white jersey for the best young rider (which he had actually gained on stage 15, but lost in the stage 18 time trial) by the penultimate stage. On the final mountain stage, although he punctured at the bottom of the final climb, he managed to catch up and overtake most of his GC rivals, finishing 4th on the day. He ended the Giro as best young rider and 5th in the general Classification.[13]

In December 2013, Betancur confirmed he would be focusing on the Tour de France for 2014. However, he failed to fly from his training base in Colombia to France on 3 June, blaming a viral infection, and changed his target to the Vuelta a España.[14]

In August 2015 announced that they had come to an agreement with Betancur to release him from his contract with the team, which was due to run until the end of 2016.[15]

Movistar Team (2016–20)

In October 2015, the announced that they had agreed an initial two-year deal with Betancur from 2016.[16] Betancur won his first race for the team – the first stage of the 2016 Vuelta a Castilla y León – ending a 760-day wait for a victory. The last race he had won was the 2014 Paris–Nice.[17]

In June 2017, he was named in the startlist for the 2017 Tour de France.[18]

Colombia Tierra de Atletas–GW Bicicletas

For the 2021 season, Betancur joined the team.[19] In April, he announced that he was taking a break from cycling.[3]

Major results

2009
  • 1st Overall Vuelta de la Juventud de Colombia
  • 1st Stage 4
  • 2nd Road race, UCI Road World Under-23 Championships
    2010
  • 1st Overall Girobio
  • 1st Stages 4 & 5
  • 1st Stage 1 (TTT) Vuelta a Colombia
    2011
  • 1st Giro dell'Emilia
  • 5th Gran Premio Industria e Commercio Artigianato Carnaghese
  • 9th Giro di Lombardia
    2012
  • 1st Trofeo Melinda
  • 1st Stage 5 Tour of Belgium
  • 1st Mountains classification, Circuit de Lorraine
  • 2nd Giro di Toscana
  • 4th Overall Giro del Trentino
  • 1st Young rider classification
  • 4th Overall Four Days of Dunkirk
  • 5th Milano–Torino
  • 5th Gran Piemonte
  • 7th Circuito de Getxo
  • 8th Overall Monviso-Venezia
  • 1st Young rider classification
  • 1st Stage 5
  • 8th Trofeo Matteotti
  • 9th GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano
    2013
  • 3rd La Flèche Wallonne
  • 4th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
  • 5th Overall Giro d'Italia
  • 1st Young rider classification
  • 7th Overall Tour of the Basque Country
    2014
  • 1st Overall Paris–Nice
  • 1st Young rider classification
  • 1st Stages 5 & 6
  • 1st Overall Tour du Haut Var
  • 1st Points classification
  • 1st Stage 1
    2016
  • 1st Stage 2 Vuelta a Asturias
  • 9th Overall Vuelta a Castilla y León
  • 1st Stage 1
    2018
  • 4th Klasika Primavera
  • 5th GP Miguel Induráin
    2019
  • 1st Klasika Primavera
  • 8th Overall Tour de Suisse

    General classification results timeline

    Grand Tour general classification results
    Grand Tour201120122013201420152016201720182019
    Giro d'Italia58520DNF15
    Tour de France18
    Vuelta a España126158DNF
    Major stage race general classification results
    Race201120122013201420152016201720182019
    Paris–Nice1
    Tirreno–Adriatico44116
    Volta a Catalunya46DNSDNF
    Tour of the Basque Country7DNF9827DNF
    Tour de Romandie13DNF43DNF11
    Critérium du DauphinéHas not contested during his career
    Tour de Suisse178

    Notes and References

    1. News: Appollonio and Betancur sign for Ag2R-La Mondiale. Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. 2 August 2012. 2 August 2012.
    2. News: Movistar Team launches 2019 season with highest hopes. Telefónica. Telefónica, S.A.. 18 December 2018. 3 January 2019.
    3. News: Nicolas. Gauthier. Route - Carlos Betancur : "On a tous le droit de faire une pause...". French. Road - Carlos Betancur: "We all have the right to take a break ...". Cyclism'Actu. Swar Agency. 16 April 2021. 21 December 2021.
    4. Web site: Liquigas-Cannondale Confirms Betancur For 2012 Roster . Cyclingnews.com . 2011-11-23.
    5. News: Garzelli considers retirement after Giro d'Italia exclusion. 10 January 2012. 13 January 2012. Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Garzelli revealed that he had planned to retire after racing one last Giro d'Italia, and had hoped to win a 10th stage or another green mountains classification jersey, and that he was prepared to give his best for his final race. He had hoped to pass his knowledge onto his young teammate Carlos Betancur..
    6. Web site: Henao narrowly edges out Betancur for Vuelta al Pais Vasco stage win . Velonation.com . 2013-04-03 . 2013-10-09.
    7. Web site: Cycling . La Flèche Wallonne 2013: Daniel Moreno triumphs on Mur de Huy while Marianne Vos wins women's edition . Telegraph . 2013-10-09.
    8. Web site: Alasdair Fotheringham . Dan Martin Takes Breakthrough Classics Win In Liege-Bastogne-Liege . Cyclingnews.com . 2013-04-21 . 2013-10-09.
    9. Web site: ProCyclingStats . Giro d´Italia 2013 Time Trial: Gabicce Mare " Saltara . ProCyclingStats . 2013-10-09.
    10. Web site: Maxim Belkov takes solo win in Giro d'Italia stage nine | Latest News . Cycling Weekly . 2013-10-09.
    11. Web site: Rigoberto Uran wins Giro stage 10 as Wiggins and Hesjedal lose time | Latest News . Cycling Weekly . 2013-10-09.
    12. Web site: Giovanni Visconti wins Giro d'Italia's Col du Galibier stage | Latest News . Cycling Weekly . 2013-10-09.
    13. Web site: Stephen Farrand . Betancur Takes Back The White Jersey At The Giro D'Italia . Cyclingnews.com . 2013-05-25 . 2013-10-09.
    14. Web site: Stephen Farrand . Report: Betancur to miss the Tour de France due to virus . Cyclingnews.com . 2014-06-12 . 2014-07-26.
    15. Web site: Ag2r-La Mondiale and Carlos Betancur part ways. 21 August 2015 . cyclingnews.com. 21 August 2015.
    16. Web site: Betancur signs two-year deal with Movistar. 18 October 2015 . . 19 October 2015.
    17. News: Carlos Betancur vuelve a sonreir. 15 April 2016. Vanguardia.com. 15 April 2016. es. Carlos Betancur smiles again.
    18. Web site: 2017: 104th Tour de France: Start List . 28 June 2017 . Pro Cycling Stats.
    19. News: Franco Xavier. Videla. Carlos Betancur correrá en el Colombia Tierra de Atletas. es. Carlos Betancur will race at Colombia Tierra de Atletas. CiclismoInternacional.com. Ciclismo Internacional. 16 December 2020. 16 December 2020.