With a slap Miguel Ángel López closes our mouths

Of all the Colombian cyclists who came to the Tour, the one we gave the least chances was Miguel Ángel López. Is that last year was pure disappointment for the Astana boss. Even a fan crossed him at the Giro d’Italia and took everything from him. In Spain they were also mechanical problems. That is why it seemed to us that at 26 years old, all the good things that we predict about him since he was champion of the Tour de L’Avenir in 2014 could not be realized.

The Tour started very badly for Miguel Ángel. He hit very hard in the first stage, a descent in Nice. Then he was cut with Pogacar because of the winds and lost 1:30. From these pages we not only gave him up for dead but also believed that he was the eternal disappointment of Colombian cycling. But today, in the hardest ascent, Miguel Ángel showed that Colombian cyclists should never be discarded, never left for dead.

López attacked with astonishing ease with only two kilometers left to finish one of the toughest ports on the Tour. The American Sepp Kuss was given a free pass by his commander, Primoz Roglic and left. He took Michelangelo from behind. It is that, when the mountains exceed 2,000 meters above sea level, Colombians get the wings of the condor and fly. He left Kuss behind and, when we believed that Roglic was beating him from behind, he took a second wind and only saw him again at the finish line.

Now Miguel Ángel López is third and more Superman than ever. He will have to defend himself from Richie Porte who is almost a minute behind him in the general classification and a very tough penultimate stage is coming, a time trial in which the Australian is a specialist. López is not only capable of recovering from bad criticism but also from common crime: remember that they call him Superman not only because of his superhuman attributes as a cyclist but because he endured a knife attack when he was 18 years old and did not allow himself to take away his bicycle. He received five stab wounds to his legs.

Miguel, excuse us. Today you slapped our mouths shut.