No, not what you think. I recently read this thoughtful and well-researched blog post by Bikesnob affiliate Lucho Metales, about the catastrophic effects of the drug trade on Columbian cycling. From what I can gather, Columbian cyclists are hot stuff, but they've never fulfilled their promise internationally, due in part to the domestic strife caused by the "war on drugs".

Reading about cyclists being gunned down in the street by drug gangs certainly puts things into perspective when I'm wavering about whether to go for a ride in the rain. I've searched out Matt Rendell's book Kings of the Mountains, which is an equally fascinating read. Has anyone seen the Channel 4 documentary that he made?

no not what i was expecting!

a fantastic read and as you say puts things in perspective – thank you

I read Kings of the Mountains when it first came out and it is indeed a fascinating read.

Some of it verges on parody – everyone in Columbia seems to have stolen a sheep in order to pay for their first bike, they were kneecapped by corrupt police the night before doing their first big race, but they still won, etc. etc. But it's still pretty awesome. 🙂