Closing of the season with a look to the future: Buitrago, Tejada and Molano, exclusively with AM850

Santiago Buitrago, Harold Tejada and Juan Sebastián Molano They are three of the great references of Colombian cycling in Europe. The three riders spoke with AM850 Ciclismo about their seasons, the learnings that 2025 will teach them and the challenges they will face in 2026.

Between reflections, self-criticism and dreams, they agreed on the same message: discipline, passion and love for the bicycle continue to be their greatest motivation.

Santiago Buitrago: “I want to turn this year around”

How was your balance of the season?

“The year started very well, until Paris-Nice, when the crashes came and everything started to get complicated. I really wanted to do a good Tour de France. I came to Colombia to prepare, I arrived in very good condition, but that’s cycling: we were in a bad moment, in a bad position and, after the crash, it was quite difficult for me. Even so, I always tried to keep my head up, with the idea of ​​turning the Tour around. I I tried and I was close, but overall, having finished the year with three wins is something very positive for me.”

What adjustments do you plan with Bahrain Victorious for next season?

“The team has trusted me a lot. We are already preparing what 2026 will be, adjusting small details: where we are losing, where we can win against our rivals. The team still considers me a leader, and that personally is very important. Now it’s time to work towards 2026, avoid the mistakes of this year and have a little more luck. Cycling is like that: sometimes you puncture at a bad time, you fall or things happen out of control. The important thing is to keep working to polish those details.”

How do you face the closing of the cycle with Bahrain?

“This will be my last season with the team. In 2026 my contract with Team Bahrain Victorious ends, and I still don’t know what will happen next. It has been six wonderful years, a team in constant change. Next year we will also have several new developments, and one begins to think about whether to renew or seek new horizons. I am very happy, but everything will depend on how 2026 turns out.”

What goals do you have for next year?

“2026 will be very important. I want to turn this year around; although I won three stages, I want to improve because making a difference in the grand tours and in World Tour races is what consolidates you as a great rider. With the team we are evaluating which of the big three we are going to aim for, but whatever it is, I want to arrive in my best condition. I want to continue demonstrating the quality of rider that I am and have an excellent year.”

How do you stay motivated after so many years at the highest level?

“When you lose your happiness or your enjoyment of cycling, it’s time to say bye. It’s not every day that I wake up thinking “how nice to go out training in the rain”, but you always have to look for that motivation.

Today we were talking about that: remembering what motivated me as a child to be a cyclist, to dream of running a Tour. We must never forget the privilege we have of being in the highest category. There are many Colombians who dream of being there, and running a Tour de France is already an enormous achievement. That’s why I always try to be happy, even if it gets more difficult every year.”

What message do you leave to young Colombian cyclists?

“All of us Colombians who are in Europe representing the country have a great responsibility towards the kids who watch us. I was also one of those kids, and today I have the duty to make them believe that we can get there, that we don’t have to give up, that despite the difficulties we have to keep fighting stage after stage.

It is a huge responsibility, but very beautiful. “I always motivate young people to work hard and dream big.”

Juan Sebastián Molano: “Having won a Giro with Pogacar is something historic”

How do you feel about the season you closed?

“I feel happy because I was able to have a very nice season with the Bruges-De Panne classic, which was too important for me, it marked my life as an athlete and as a professional cyclist. I also won a very special race in the Tour of Hungary. As a group, I am happy with the team, because all the guys have done a spectacular job. I think we are leaving the name of our sponsor high and showing on the road what a great group we are. I feel very happy to be part of UAE Team Emirates.”

You have spent many years in the UAE. What does it mean to you to belong to this team?

“I feel part of this team because I made the whole transition since I was starting out. Today, when we are the best team in the world, it has been a very nice experience throughout these eight years. I have learned many things, I have met many cyclists and directors, and all those people have left me great lessons to move forward and improve every year. I owe my progress to each member of the team, to my teammates, to my throwers and to everyone who has always been with me. It is an honor to share with Tadej Pogacar, who is a great person and transmits a very calm energy. Having won a Giro with him is something historic, something that remains engraved in the heart and mind; “You enjoy it too much.”

What is your dream for next season?

“My dream next year is to win a stage in the Giro d’Italia. That’s what I’m aiming for, and I’m going to prepare from the beginning of the season. I also want to do the classics very well, we have a very strong team and I want to excel in them, like I did this year.”

What message do you leave to children who dream of being cyclists?

“It’s something very gratifying. When I look back, I remember when I was a child and I dreamed of watching the professionals. I like to transmit good energy so that they continue dreaming, like I did. I want to send a very special greeting to all those children who want to go far in cycling or in any sport.

Dream, set a goal. Surely they will have obstacles, but that will help them move forward and get to where they want to go.”

Harold Tejada: “2026 will be a great test for me”

How do you feel about this first edition of your route?

“Happy, content, looking forward to this first Harold Tejada Route. I am excited that everything goes well. I thank my family, who has always supported me, and my friends who came to accompany me. Thank you for trusting me, because it is not easy to experience new territories. Seeing that the participants arrived, that my friends accepted the invitation, is something to highlight. Many could not come due to commitments, but I thank you for always having me present.”

What assessment do you make of the season with Astana?

“Positive. The team had a clear objective: to score points and not be relegated. We managed to stay in the World Tour category for three more years, something very important for the sponsors and for us, the riders, because it motivates us even more. We finished fourth in the world ranking; it is nice to know, especially because last year we were last. This shows that the team is progressing and that the sponsors’ investment is being reflected.”

How has your experience been within the Astana team?

“No team is perfect, but Astana has opened the doors for me and has given me the privilege of assuming all the roles: gregarious, leader, everything I can contribute. In some races I have done very well. Next year will be a great test to know if I am going to consolidate myself as a general runner or remain as a gregarious.

Being a general runner is a great responsibility. In the Vuelta a España, a top 10 would have left me more satisfied and would have convinced me to go for the general classification next year. However, the World Cup gave me the confidence to think about that. This year I was ninth in the UAE Tour, eighth in Paris-Nice, I was close in several races, but now we want to be ahead with the best.

The team is trusting me. Before coming to Colombia I did tests in the wind tunnel, which shows that they believe in my potential for next year.”

Do you feel that your role within the peloton has changed?

“Yes. The first years were about learning and helping the leaders. Now I feel that I need to be ahead, I have the ambition to win. That comes from experience. Not all riders are the same, but having shared a race with Pogacar, Remco, Almeida and Egan motivates me a lot; one feels privileged to compete with them.”

How does your calendar look for 2026?

“2026 will be a very important year. I will start in the UAE Tour, then Paris-Nice, the Basque Country, Romandie, Dauphiné, Tour de France, Vuelta a España and I will close with the World Cup. Next year I want to set the World Cup as a goal. This year helped me know that I can finish the season ahead, I had not achieved it for three years. Now I work with a psychologist and we have set the goal of closing the year well. Seeing myself there gives me confidence and “It motivates me to continue with the mentality I had since I was a child.”

What is your big dream in cycling?

“I would like to win a stage in the Tour de France. It is the dream of all cyclists. This year I was close, but any victory in Europe is welcome. I would love to make podiums, but winning a stage in the Tour would be a privilege. I work for that: I have been a professional for six years and I have only won once, in the Tour Colombia. I am still fighting to achieve that stage in the Tour; it would be something very nice and would leave me completely satisfied.”

What message do you leave for young people who want to get into professional cycling?

“Be disciplined and constant. There are opportunities, but you have to do things with love and be positive. Achieving your dreams is not easy, but it is never impossible. Never give up, because you don’t lose along the way: you learn.”