Juliana Londoño made history last week as the first Colombian to compete in the Lloyds Tour of Britain, securing second place in the young rider classification. The 21-year-old, who rides for Team Picnic PostNL, has been racing on the European tour since 2024.
A trailblazer for Colombian women's cycling
While Colombia has seen male cyclists like Nairo Quintana and Egan Bernal achieve international fame, Londoño has had few role models on the women's side. She is just one of two Colombian women racing in Europe, alongside Paula Patiño.
“I’m really grateful to be the first Colombian. I didn’t know that I was [before I arrived], but being here and representing Colombia is good for me,” Londoño said. “We are well-represented in the men’s but in the women’s, there is only one other rider who races in Europe. My career has risen quite fast to be in Europe and for me it is also important to help to grow women’s cycling.”
Rising star in the peloton
In the young rider category, Londoño outperformed British prospects Imogen Wolff, Morven Yeoman, and national champion Zoe Bäckstedt, despite finishing over eight minutes behind winner Fleur Moors. She also placed in the top ten on stage two and helped team lead rider Josie Nelson achieve a top ten finish in the general classification.
The second-place finish marked her best result at a UCI Women’s WorldTour race, surpassing her 18th-place finish in the Vuelta a España earlier this year.
Adapting to British conditions
Londoño faced variable British weather and narrow, winding roads for the first time. “It’s quite fun and quite different kinds of roads from what I’m used to. It’s also different in the peloton because most of the time it’s narrow roads with a lot of corners,” she said. “But I really like these kinds of tests. Like the weather at the start was quite bad for me but I’ve really enjoyed this race.”
When asked if she wanted to leave a legacy in Colombian cycling, her answer was clear: “Yes.”
