Lucho herrera

Luis Alberto Herrera Herrera ODB, (Fusagasugá, Cundinamarca, May 4, 1961), better known as Lucho Herrera, is a former Colombian cyclist, professional between 1982 and 1992, during which he achieved 30 victories, the most important being the 1987 Tour of Spain.

Lucho Herrera was the first Colombian and Latin American cyclist to win one of the three Grand Tours of cycling, after winning the 1987 Vuelta a España. He was a pioneer of Colombian cycling in Europe, and its greatest exponent during the 1980s. He was an excellent climber, perhaps the best in the world during the eighties, as evidenced by his victories in the mountain classifications of the three Grand Tours, as well as numerous stages and places of honor in them. He has been, together with the Spanish Federico Martín Bahamontes, winner of the mountains in the three European Grand Tours.

Biography

Herrera Monument in his hometown, Fusagasugá.

Luis Alberto Herrera Herrera was born in a home located in a rural area of the municipality of Fusagasugá, Cundinamarca, made up of his parents Rafael and Esther Herrera, and his brothers Álvaro, Natividad, Rafael and Orlando. His family was of low economic resources, which is why, as a teenager, he had to mix his high school studies with the job of gardening, which required him to walk long distances, for which his mother bought him his first bicycle, with which he began to fulfill his journey and, incidentally, to become interested in the world of cycling.

On December 24, 1991, he married the model and former beauty queen, Judith Xiques Villa; For many, his marriage forced his retirement from cycling, due to Herrera's manifest desire to dedicate himself to his family.

In 2000, he was kidnapped by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP). The guerrilla group held him for 24 hours, after which he was released, apparently ending with the intense police operation that was deployed to achieve his rescue. The kidnapping occurred just two months after Oliverio Rincón, also an excicista, was detained by another illegal group in Duitama, Boyacá.

Beginnings (1980-1983)

He took his first steps in 1980 in the XIII edition of the Youth Tour of Colombia, occupying the fifth box, distanced from the champion Martín Ramírez in 2 minutes and 27 seconds, winning some mountain passes and triumphing in the final classification of the mountain prizes.

In 1981, he competed in his first Vuelta a Colombia in which he finished 16th, 46 minutes and 35 seconds behind winner Fabio Parra. In the RCN Clásico of the same year, he won the fifth stage between Ibagué and Alto de La Línea, with a time of 2 hours, 13 minutes and 9 seconds, leading Fabio Parra by 4 seconds. This was his first major triumph in any competition in Colombia.

The following year, in 1982, he earned his first win in a major national competition; he did it in his second participation in the RCN Classic, integrating the Freskola team, beating Fabio Parra who occupied the second box. The Frenchman Pascal Simon, winner of the Tour de l'Avenir a year earlier, and the Scotsman Robert Millar, a great rival of the Colombians in the mountains years later, participated in the competition. In September of that same year he participated with the Colombian team in the Tour de l'Avenir. His best performance was on September 19, with a victory in the tenth stage between Divonne-les-Bains and Morzine, with a time of 4 hours, 34 minutes and 30 seconds, followed by Israel Corredor and, in third place, the one who would be the champion of the test, the American Greg LeMond, almost 3 minutes behind. At the end of the race he would sit fourth in the standings, 12 minutes and 3 seconds behind LeMond, and second in the mountains standings.

In 1983 he won again in the RCN Classic. He also participated in the Tour of Colombia, winning his first two stages in this test and finishing second overall and winning the mountains title.

Professional career

1984

Without turning professional yet, in 1984 he began by winning the RCN Classic where figures such as Laurent Fignon, Greg LeMond, Pascal Simon, Marc Madiot, Charly Mottet and the climber Robert Millar participated. At the end of the sixth stage, Herrera assumed the lead, dislodging Manuel Ignacio Gutiérrez. After winning the penultimate stage, he became champion for the third time in this test, also winning the mountains. Additionally, he achieved his first victory in the Tour of Colombia, with which Herrera was in good shape to compete in professional cycling in Europe.

Herrera's letter of introduction at a professional level was his stage victories in the Tour de France. On Monday, July 16, he won his first stage in the Tour, finishing at Alpe d'Huez, with a time of 4 hours, 39 minutes and 24 seconds, at an average of 32.4 km per hour, leaving behind Bernard Hinault, who came in 3 minutes and 24 seconds and Laurent Fignon, who came in second at 49 s, after an intense duel. This was the first time that an amateur cyclist had won a stage in the Tour.

1985

Luis Herrera descending with his bloody face, after a fall at the 14th stage of the 1985 Tour between Autrans and Saint-Étienne.

After competing in the 1985 RCN Clásico, he appeared for the first time in the Vuelta a España that same year. The team was under the guidance of Raúl Meza and sponsored by Pilas Varta. The competition was won by Pedro Delgado and Herrera was forced to leave due to tendonitis. That same year, already recovered, he won the title and the mountain of the Tour of Colombia, proof of the good level he maintained, which served him well for the good campaign of the Tour de France in 1985.

On Tuesday, July 9, between Pontarlier and the Morzine-Avoriaz ski resort, Herrera completed a masterful stage, in front of the five-time European champion, Bernard Hinault. He won the stage seven seconds ahead of Hinault and moved up from 59th to 25th overall and the next day, together with stage winner Fabio Parra, they arrived together in Lans-en-Vercors, coming from Morzine.

In the 14th stage, he triumphed again on a route between Autrans and Saint-Étienne, despite suffering a spectacular fall going down the mountain prize located in Croix de Chaubouret. In that same stage, the leader Hinault also suffered a fall 100 meters from the finish line. Regarding that stage, Herrera commented:

"That was the arrival at Saint Etienne... I was escaping and, because I didn't catch an oil stain, touched the edge of the road, destabilized the bike and fell. But I got up fast and managed to win."

In the end, in the general classification of the Tour, Herrera placed seventh, at a distance of 12 minutes and 53 seconds from the final winner. He was the winner of the mountain with 440 points, followed by Pedro Delgado. A year later, despite health problems, he achieved the subtitle of the mountain, behind Hinault.

1986

He did not start the Vuelta a España that year, reserving himself for the RCN Clásico, which took on an international level with the participation of multiple French champion Bernard Hinault. Herrera reached his fourth title and also the mountain. Hinault took a secondary position 34 minutes and 58 seconds behind Herrera. It was his fourth and last victory in the radio competition. Two months after his victory in the Clásico, he won the Tour of Colombia for the third time in a row. The Spanish Álvaro Pino participated in this test, who a month earlier had won the Tour of Spain. He was 20th, 27 minutes and 27 seconds behind Herrera.

1987

In 1987 he achieved one of his greatest triumphs as a professional cyclist, winning the Tour of Spain, in what was his second participation in the Spanish round, after fighting Sean Kelly (who had to withdraw due to a boil when he was the leader of the test), Raymund Dietzen and Laurent Fignon.

Herrera did not arrive as a favourite, he was not even the leader of his team, Café de Colombia, which had handed over the responsibility of leading the team to Martín Ramírez, who had won the 1984 Dauphiné Libéré. Pedro Delgado, Fignon and Kelly were the favorites to the final victory.

The first week of the event had two stages against the clock, the prologue and the third stage, and despite the fact that Herrera was not a good time trialist, he did not lose much time and remained less than three minutes behind the leader Kelly.

The two Colombian teams, Ryalcao Postobón and Café de Colombia, began their attacks as they reached the mountain stages. In the sixth stage, the competition reached the Pyrenees and Herrera finished third, cutting the distance from the leader. The next day, he finishes second on the stage, 49 seconds behind the new leader, Dietzen. Kelly is second.

The key moment was in the 11th stage, between Santander and Lagos de Covadonga, when they won the stage on a 179 km track. The stage passed without many shocks until the ascent to the Lakes. He got ahead of the group and began to pick up the pace on the first ramps. He wore a red T-shirt, which identified him as the leader of the mountain.

"I had seen him go up, but that day surprised me. All of us (Colombians and Europeans) were standing on the pedals and advancing as on a bike, sitting on the bike. It was impossible to take the step."According to Pedro Saúl Morales, cyclist of Ryalcao Postobón who finished seventh at that stage.

From that moment on, he assumed the leadership of the event for a period of six consecutive stages, until he temporarily lost it to Sean Kelly, after the 24-kilometre time trial in Valladolid. Kelly moved into the lead by 42s over Herrera.

But the next day, at kilometer 14 on the way to Ávila, in the 19th stage, the coach Faustino Rupérez of the Kas team, where Kelly was working, reported the withdrawal of the Irish cyclist, affected by furunculosis. In the middle of the race, Herrera assumed the lead again, without failing to recognize the threat of the German Dietzen a few seconds behind. Herrera arrived in Ávila, subtracting three stages, as escort of the winner, Laurent Fignon and increased the advantage over Dietzen, which was 64 seconds, which he kept until the end of the test.

He won the title with a time of 105 hours, 34 minutes and 25 seconds. In the mountains he added 174 points.

After this triumph, Herrera established himself nationally and internationally. Upon his return, the president at that time, Virgilio Barco, awarded him the Cruz de Boyacá, in the rank of officer.

After the Vuelta a España he was runner-up in the Vuelta a Colombia, 27 seconds behind Pablo Wilches. He was crowned champion of the mountains of the Tour de France and fifth in the general classification.

In the Tour de France he took fifth position and won the Mountain title once again.

1988

After dissolving the winning duo with Fabio Parra, who went to Kelme, Luis Herrera won the Tour of Colombia for the last time. At the European level, he won the Dauphiné Libéré with more than enough merit, where he was also second in the mountains. He reissued that title in 1991. On that occasion he also won the modalities of regularity, combined and combativeness. He also finished sixth in the Tour de France, 14 minutes and 36 seconds behind winner Pedro Delgado.

1989

He participated in the Giro d'Italia, winning 2 stages, the 13th, between Padua and Tre Cime di Lavaredo and the 18th, between Mendrisio and Monte Generoso and winning the mountain with 70 points. He occupied box 18.

1991

In the Vuelta a España that year, he won again the stage to the Lakes of Covadonga, which he had already won in 1987, securing the mountain title.

1992

He was champion of the Vuelta a Aragón, leading Miguel Induráin, 4th overall, by 20 seconds. He was also 8th in the Giro d'Italia He won stage 9 that ended at the Terminillo pass in a sprint over 5 riders including Miguel Induráin,

Honours of Prizes

Results in Grand Tours and World Championships

Race		1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992
	Giro de Italia	-	-	-	-	-	18.	-	-	8.
	Tour de France	27.	7.	22.	5.o	6.o	19.	-	31.o	-
	Return to Spain	-	Ab.	-	1.o	20.	-	12.	13.	Ab.
World on Route		-	-	Ab.	-	-	Ab.	-	-	-

Records and personal bests

• His triumph in the Round to Spain 1987, allowed him to establish the following marks:
  • First non-European cyclist to win the Return to Spain
  • First Latin American cyclist to win a Great Round
  • First Latin American cyclist to win the Round to Spain
  • First Colombian cyclist to win the Return to Spain
• His triumph at the 17th stage of the Tour de France 1984 allowed him to establish the following marks:
  • First Latin American cyclist to win a stage at the Tour de France
  • First amateur cyclist to win a stage at the Tour de France
• First American cyclist to win at least one stage in each of the three Great Rounds
• Second cyclist to win the ranking of the mountain in the three Great Rounds, along with Federico Martín Bahamontes

Teams

Fans:

• Freskola (1982)
• Milk Gran Via - Aquitaine Island (1983)
• - Varta (1984)

Professionals:

• Pilas Varta - Café de Colombia (1985-1991)
  • Pilas Varta - Café de Colombia - Mavic (1985)
  • Café de Colombia - Pilas Varta (1986)
  • Pilas Varta - Café de Colombia (1987)
  • Café de Colombia (1998)
  • Café de Colombia - Mavic (1989)
  • Café de Colombia (1990)

• Postobón Manzana - Ryalcao (1991-1992)
  • Ryalcao - Manzana Postobón (1991)
  • Postobón Manzana - Ryalcao (1992)

Controversy

In the autobiography of ex-cyclist Laurent Fignon, published in June 2009, called Laurent Fignon: Nous étions jeunes et insouciants (Laurent Fignon: we were young and unaware), he wrote that he had been bribed by Colombians to let Herrera win the 1987 Vuelta a España:

"(Cyrille) Guimard (technical director of Fignon) had prevented us: "The Colombians propose us money not to advance." As far as we're concerned, we didn't intend to attack. Reason for more. We accept the proposal: 30,000 francs per runner."

In response, Herrera rejected the Frenchman's claims and stated that if it had been true they would have bought the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia as well:

"What he says in his book is nonsense. We had a good team and we didn't need anything extraordinary to win. Besides, there were three teams with Colombians who could back me up. And if it was with bribes we won, then were my Dauphiné Liberé titles also paid in 1988 and 1991?"