Cycling news: Sergio Higuita earns overall victory at Tour Colombia 2020

The new Colombian national road-race champion was beaten by EF Pro Cycling team-mate Daniel Martínez to the stage six victory, while Tour de France champion Egan Bernal finished third.

Martínez recorded a time of 4 hours 24 minutes and 9 seconds on the mountainous 182.6-kilometre stage from Zipaquira to a mountaintop finish on El Verjon, on the outskirts of Bogota.

Higuita, who started the day in the leader’s orange jersey, was second in the same time.

Ineos’ Bernal finished third, three seconds back.

The 22-year-old Higuita also beat Bernal to win the Colombian road title at the start of February.

“I’m really very happy because this is the first general classification I’ve ever won in my life,” Higuita, who is known as ‘the Beetle’ told ESPN.

Martínez was second overall, with Ecuadorian Jonathan Caicedo in third.

Bernal finished fourth overall, 55 seconds behind the winner.

Bernal and the Ecuadorian Giro winner Richard Carapaz tried to escape on the final climb but Higuita clung to their wheels before attacking with Martínez.

Rigoberto Uran, the theoretical EF team leader, finished the race, his first since he broke ribs and a shoulder blade and suffered a punctured lung in a crash on the sixth stage of the Vuelta a Espana in August.

Final general classification

1. Sergio Higuita (Col) EF Pro Cycling, in 19-55-50
2. Daniel Martínez (Col) EF Pro Cycling, at eight seconds
3. Jonathan Caicedo (Ecu) EF Pro Cycling, at 34s
4. Egan Bernal (Col) Ineos, at 55s
5. Miguel Eduardo Flórez (Col) Androni Giocattoli – Sidermec, at 2-01
6. Freddy Emir Montaña (C0l) EPM – Scott, at 2-36
7. Esteban Chaves (Col) Colombia, at 3-09
8. Hernán Ricardo Aguirre (Col) Colombia Tierra de Atletas – GW Bicicletas, at 3-15
9. Torstein Træen (Nor) Uno-X Norwegian Development Team, at 3-19
10. Sergio Henao (Col) UAE Team Emirates, at 3-22