At the age of 41, the imbaburean cyclist is still active, he debuted in the national round in 1999, the following year he was second overall.
The imbabureño Erick castaño Hill One more Tour of Ecuador, it is not clear how many he has run, but he did finish them all, even with three podiums achieved in his best years.
He started his path in the national round in 1999 When he was part of the ESPE team, since that year he has been present in multiple competitions. “I am not sure how many there are, but we will be on Lap 15, yes, I completed them all”said the 41-year-old cyclist.
The Vuelta record indicates 15 races completed by Castaño, who took the podium in 2002 as the second best placed in the general classification, behind Héctor Chiles.
In his participations he got two other podiums as the third classified. “I have been able to enjoy all these laps, at a good level. I really enjoyed it”Commented the runner of the 100% Imbabura team.
In the edition of 2021 the ibarreño was ranked 29th overall, 1 hour 17 minutes 31 seconds behind the winner, Steven Haro.
Castaño was part of a batch of barely 51 runners who finished the test. “I am happy to finish one more lap, strong as always, with very well prepared riders. We have been working since January, in the end we the rain hurt a lotWe trained in Chota and the cold affected us. Of the team we were only two cyclists, the other boys had falls, We started the race 100 and finished half, that means that the test was very hard“, he pointed.
At the collective level, his best performance was in 2020, when he won the team title of the Ecuadorian turn in rows of the equipo continental Best PC, “One of the most beautiful experiences I have ever had.”
Reasons are not lacking for that statement, because “Only teams like Movistar or Best PC are financially able to support their runners in every way, the rest of us must make our sacrifices, have our own implementation, from the bicycle, “said Castaño, who has invested” about 5,000 dollars “between bicycle, helmet, shoes and other accessories.
“Preparation is also difficult, by assuming food costs, daily training, all this requires a lot of investment and teams don’t have to pay for everything“, lament.
This is the second season of Team 100% Imbabura, “We are starting,” said Castaño.
The campus budget for the Vuelta is $ 6,000, “We knock on doors to finance the race, but it is very complicated. Friends who have companies helpThere is not much interest to support, we hope that the situation will change with the new laws, “he said.
To support his family, Castaño has a bicycle shop in his city. “We have to do another activity to survive, cycling is not enough to live“, He said.
The imbaburan cyclist was one of the most experienced of the Vuelta al Ecuador, claims to have “made the most of his career” and despite exceeding four decades, the retreat is far away. “I hope to continue, that health be with me to be in 2022,” he concluded. (D)
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
