User:Faxnico/Sandbox
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Israel Antonio Ochoa Plazas (born in Paipa on August 26, 1964) is a veteran Colombian professional road racing cyclist who rides for Lotería de Boyacá.
Personal information | |
---|---|
Full name | Israel Antonio Ochoa Plazas |
Nickname | El Rápido |
Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) |
Weight | 69 kg (152 lb) |
Team information | |
Current team | Lotería de Boyacá |
Discipline | Road |
Role | Rider |
Rider type | Resistant rouleur |
Amateur teams | |
1982 | Club Cicloturismo de Paipa |
1983–1986 | Joyerías Felipe |
Professional teams | |
1987–1988 | Pinturas Philaac |
1989–1991 | Café de Colombia (Amateurs) |
1992–1995 | Gaseosas Glacial |
1996 | Gaseosas Glacial - Selle Italia |
1997–1998 | Lotería de Boyacá |
1999 | Aguardiente Néctar - Cundimarca |
2000 | Aguardiente Néctar - Selle Italia |
2001– | Lotería de Boyacá |
Major wins | |
Pan American Championships COPACI
Clásico RCN COL
Ruta México MEX
Vuelta a Chile CHI Doble Copacabana BOL
Vuelta a Boyacá COL (1997, 2003, 2006) | |
He's one of the most long-lasting and currently winning (despite advanced age) male professional rider ever. His carrer started in the golden times of "los escarabajos" in late 1980s when many races were still ruled by Lucho Herrera and Fabio Parra and you might have still encountered Café de Colombia's jerseys leading the peloton. He was then a dangerous contender (or team-mate sometimes) of the following generations that popped up till all the 1990s, some of them making a mark (more or less significantly) in European roads too like Álvaro Mejía, Oliverio Rincón, Leonardo Sierra, Cacaíto Rodríguez, Álvaro Sierra, Hernán Buenahora, Chepe González, Libardo Niño, José Castelblanco, Santiago Botero, Félix Cárdenas, Carlos Contreras, Víctor Hugo Peña, Iván Parra and Freddy González, among others. During his sporadic international participations Ochoa also ran into the rise of some emerging champions as Lance Armstrong (1991 Settimana Bergamasca), Alex Zülle (1991 GP Tell), Marco Pantani (1994 Ruta México) and next to some who were already big names like Claudio Chiappucci (1992 Clásico RCN), Laurent Fignon (1993 Ruta México), Gianni Bugno (1993 Ruta México), Miguel Indurain (1995 World Championships). He pedaled strongly as always through the "darkest years" of Colombian cycling (from Botero's outstanding 2002 season to Soler's wins in 2007 approximately) and unbelievably still stands up to the massive, pushing, unstoppable generational turnover lead especially by the talented 1986-1990's new blood.
Nowadays, although sometimes in poor health, "El Rápido" (the nickname came to mind watching his fast pace in the flat during Clásico RCN) doesn't give up to show off once again his well-know resistance and time-trialist skills. He keeps on winning at least 2-3 races per year thanks to almost monastic commitment to his job, huge costancy, matchless experience, surly helped by environmental factors (e.g. living at an altitude of +2500 meters) and by the overall extension of sportsmen's career lenght in last few years (due to medical, scientific, nutritional, social, etc... evolutions). Realistically he doesn't seem capable to fight for most important events general classification anymore, where he still remains an excellent lieutenant and stages-hunter anyway. Besides, he defends proudly and with good results Boyacá Department in National Championships yearly.