Introducing Jose Rujano - Colombia-Selle Italia

<a href=www.dailypeloton.com>dailypeloton.comBy Staff Date: 05/08/03 By Jakob Duma

At a present time when names like Filippo Pozatto, Yaroslav Popovych, and Tom Boonen, are well on the way to start the new domination of the "1980´s generation" on the modern international cycle scene all around Europe, another young prodigy is about to start letting loose some of his enormous potential with only one target in mind, to make a name of himself and conquer the international world of cycling. He is truly already well on his way.

The name is Rujano, Jose Rujano a 21 year old young man, from the relative unknown (from a cycling point of view, anyway) Latin American country of Venezuela, a land with a population around 24 milion and currently the fastest growing country in all of South America. Born on the 18th of February 1982, in the small town of Santa Cruz de Mora (in the Province of Mérida), Rujano was coached and got a lot of help from his father who was himself a former cyclist early on in his career, but he also however received a lot of help and advice from former Venezuelan professional and Carrera and ZG-Mobili rider Leonardo Sierra, who to this date is the only Venezuelan to win a stage in a Grand Tour -  stage 16 to Aprica in 1990´s Giro d'Italia, and who is a former neighbour of J. Rujano´s back in the days in Santa Cruz de Mora.

Before the start of 2003, Jose Rujano signed with the Colombian/Italian equipment Colombia-Selle Italia,  directed by Gianni Savio who actually is also a former sports director of Leonardo Sierra at ZG-Mobili. He has already impressed highly at Tour de Langkawi where he finished 18th on the final GC, but also at Giro Della Liguria, where he showed his potential by finishing 7th in the 10,2km mountain time trail, and receiving a lot of praise from team director Gianni Savio.