Vuelta a Colombia winner Diego Camargo will step up to the WorldTour in 2021 with EF Pro Cycling The 22-year-old Camargo will join countrymen Rigoberto Urán, Sergio Igita and Daniel Arroyave on the American team.

Camargo raced for the Colombia Tierra de Atletas-GW Bicicletas Continental team in 2020 and had strong performances in the Vuelta a San Juan and Tour Colombia 2.1 before a coronavirus outbreak interrupted his season.

When the season resumed in August, the Colombian raced in Italy, most recently on his home roads, winning the under-23 Vuelta de la Juventud in early November and beating Oscar Sevilla in the elite Vuelta a Colombia later that month for the overall He won the overall title.

"He is one of the few riders to win the Vuelta de la Juventud and the Vuelta a Colombia in the same year," EF Pro Cycling manager Jonathan Vaughters said in a statement released by the team on Friday. [This] speaks volumes about his talent. He has a relatively slow start to cycling, and I think his very humble beginnings will work to his advantage and ultimately make him a champion at the highest level of cycling."

Vaughters said that the team is "very proud of him.

Camargo, from Tuta, Boyaca, started racing as a mountain biker in 2015 before switching to the road; after a strong showing at the 2017 Vuelta de la Juventud, he moved to Cole Deportes the following season and won the Vuelta a Boyaca in 2019 ...

"I'm an all-around cyclist and can work on all terrain, but mainly a climber," Camargo said.

"My favorite place to ride is around Tuta, Boyaca, where I live. The people are really friendly and I think it's because of the terrain we live in. But I'm not really familiar with Europe, but I've heard good things about it and I think it would be great for me to go there."

EF Pro Cycling has moved Criterium du Dauphiné winner Daniel Martinez to Ineos Grenadier for 2021, but the team has a number of Colombian riders, led by Uran and national champion Igita. Colombian under-23 champion Daniel Arroyave recently admitted that he will turn pro at EF in 2021.

"I chose EF because it seemed like a really great team. A team like this will help me grow as a person and as a cyclist and make my cycling dreams come true... In 2021, I want to contribute to the team and give 100%, but also gain a lot of experience by adapting to the races and preparing my body a little bit to hopefully win some races. to gain experience."