He’s achieved a lot of international coverage as a track racer but Juan Estaban Arango will seek to also perform strongly on the road next season when he lines out in the colours of Team Colombia, the squad known as Colombia Coldeportes in 2012.
Arango is the latest signing announced by the Pro Continental setup, and is the seventeenth rider confirmed thus far for next year’s lineup.
Specialising in endurance racing events on the track, the 26 year old has been successful in several disciplines. Last year he was victorious in both the Omnium and Madison in his home World Cup in Cali, and also emerged best in the Omnium in the London World Cup.
While his Olympic participation wasn’t as successful as he had hoped, he was again victorious on home soil when the World Cup returned recently to Cali. This time the team pursuit was the discipline where he took gold.
However Arango has also achieved some good results on the road; last year he took top five finishes in the time trials in the Tour de San Luis and the Vuelta de Chile, as well as placing fifth in the Pan-American Games road race. In 2012 he won a stage of the Vuelta Mexico.
“Arango can boast a solid experience in road races, and will put his sprint and rouleur skills to the service of the team in the most important European races,” said Team Colombia in announcing his signing.
The team is currently building up for the new season at its headquarters in Adro, The riders are training together, with the returning competitors plus the newcomers getting to know each other, while the team’s equipment and clothing is being designed for what it intends to be a very successful second season.
The squad is ultimately aiming to emulate the past performances of the Café de Colombia team, which dynamited the mountain stages of the Tour de France in the 1980s.