Samuel Flórez

Samuel Flórez, the first Colombian rider to compete in the U19 structure of the Contador Foundation since its creation, is a second year rider of whom the professional from La Mancha, based for several years in the South American country, Óscar Sevilla, speaks highly of. Flórez has already had the opportunity to show his quality on Spanish roads with a first experience in 2022 with Rias Baixas. “I came to cycling when I was very young, as my father was very fond of the sport, and I even competed in some master’s races, but mainly as an amateur and in rallies”, he says. Flórez, although a native of Bogotá, lives with his family in Medellín and his residence is at kilometre 9, some 2,000 metres above sea level, on a sixteen-kilometre climb that is very famous in international cycling: the Alto de las Palmas. “Whenever I go out on my bike, it’s always upwards,” he jokes. And he adds: “Every day I train before going to school, I have special permission to arrive late with the responsibility of catching up on what was done in the time I wasn’t there. Thanks to Oscar Sevilla, who I consider as my cycling father, I have had a lot of support and advice in my growth process as a cyclist, without forgetting the support of my family, who has always been there”. About his first pedal strokes Flórez recalls: “When I was 9 years old I got my first road bike and I remember that I did 60 kilometres. From there I started to enjoy it and when we moved to Medellin, 5 years ago, a coach Juan David Vargas approached my father in a competition and that’s when I started training to compete”.