Álvaro Pachón

From the mid-1960s until the late 1970s Colombian cyclist Álvaro Pachón had an impressive record in stage races at home. Pachón won three editions of the Vuelta al Táchira (1969, 1970, 1974) and the Vuelta a Colombia in 1971, along with 11 stages of the Vuelta from 1968 to 1976. After finishing second at the national road race championships in both 1967 and 1969, he finally became the Colombian national champion in 1970.

During this time Pachón was also a mainstay in the Colombian national cycling team, competing at multiple international competitions. In 1967 he won silver in the team time trial at the Pan American Games in Winnipeg before finishing 15th in the road race at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. Pachón won further medals in the team time trial at the Pan American Games with silver in 1971 and bronze in 1975. He also won silver in the same event at the 1974 Central American and Caribbean Games. Pachón was still consistent at the end of his career, finishing eighth in the Vuelta a Colombia in 1979, followed by tenth in the race a year later.