Postóbon (cycling team)

Postóbon was a Colombian based professional road bicycle racing cycling team active from 1986 to 1996. The team was sponsored by the Colombian beverage manufacturers Postobón. The team name was sometimes Manzana-Postobón after one of the most popular drinks that the beverage manufacturer produced.

The team came into existence the year after the creation of the Café de Colombia-Pilas Varta-Mavic. The first manager of the Café de Colombia team was José Raúl Meza Orozco but he joined Postóbon. Asdrubal Salazar, Elkin Dario Rendón Rojas, José Alfonso López Lemus and Marsutis Dumbauskas would be involved in the managing of the team of the ten years of its existence.

Luis Herrera rode the last two years of his career with the team. Chepe González, a stage winner in the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia began his career with the team. The team obtained success and challenged the dominance of Cafe de Colombia in the Vuelta a Colombia with Pablo Wilches, Gustavo Wilches and José González. On February 22 1995, three cyclists of the team - Néstor Mora, Hernán Patiño and Augusto Triana were tragically killed while training on a highway in Colombia when they were hit by a truck. [cite web|url=http://w3.elmundo.es/papel/hemeroteca/1995/02/22/deportes/29533.html|title=Néstor Mora, Augusto Triana y Hernán Patiño mueren en Colombia arrollados por un camión es icon|publisher=El Mundo|accessdate=2007-10-20]

Important success

*1986
*Stage Vuelta a Colombia

*1987
*General Classification and one stage Vuelta a Colombia
*Stage Clasico RCN

*1988
*General Classification Clásica Ciudad de Girardot
*General Classification Vuelta a Boyacà
*Two stages Clasico RCN

*1989
*Mountains Classification and one stage Vuelta a España
*Stage Clasico RCN

*1990
*Stage Vuelta a España
*Stage 7 Dauphiné Libéré
*Stage 2 Vuelta a Venezuela
*General Classification Vuelta a El Salvador
*General Classification Clasico RCN

*1991
*General Classification and one stage Dauphiné Libéré
*Stage 6 Volta a Catalunya
*Mountains Classification and Stage 16 Vuelta a España

*1992
*General Classification Clasico RCN
*General Classification Vuelta a los valles Mineros
*General Classification Vuelta a Costa Rica
*General Classification Vuelta Ciclista a Aragón
*General Classification and one stage Route du Sud
*General Classification Vuelta Ciclista a Murcia
*Stage 7 Dauphiné Libéré

*1994
*Stage Clasico RCN

*1995
*1st, National COL road race championships (Efrain Rico Lizarazo)
*General Classification and one stage Ruta Mexico
*Stage Clasico RCN

*1996
*Stage wins Vuelta a Colombia

References