Fernando Gaviria facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Fernando Gaviria

Gaviria at the 2018 Münsterland Giro
Personal information
Full name	Fernando Gaviria Rendón
Born	(1994-08-19) 19 August 1994 (age 30) La Ceja, Antioquia, Colombia
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	71 kg (157 lb; 11 st 3 lb)
Team information
Current team	Movistar Team
Role	Rider
Rider type	Sprinter
Major wins
;Road Grand Tours Tour de France 2 individual stages (2018) Giro d'Italia Points classification (2017) 5 individual stages (2017, 2019) One-day races and Classics GP Impanis-Van Petegem (2016) Paris–Tours (2016) Track Omnium, World Championships (2015, 2016)

Fernando Gaviria Rendón (born August 19, 1994) is a professional cyclist from Colombia. He races on both road and track. Currently, he rides for the UCI WorldTeam Movistar Team.

Fernando is famous for his powerful sprints, which help him win races. He first gained international attention in 2015. He beat the former world champion Mark Cavendish in two sprint finishes at the 2015 Tour de San Luis. His first big wins in a Grand Tour happened at the 2017 Giro d'Italia. Fernando's sister, Juliana Gaviria, is also a track cyclist.

His nickname is "Quetzal splendente," named after the colorful South American bird, the Quetzal. The bright colors remind people of his world championship titles. They also represent his home country, Colombia, and the "maglia Ciclamino" (purple jersey) he won at the Giro d'Italia.

Fernando Gaviria's Cycling Journey

Starting His Career in Cycling

Gaviria winning a sprint at the 2015 Tour de San Luis

Before becoming a road cyclist, Fernando Gaviria was a champion on the track. In 2012, he won gold medals in the omnium and madison events at the 2012 UCI Juniors Track World Championships. These are races held on a special indoor track.

In 2014, he won the Pan-American road race for riders under 23 years old. He also competed in the 2014 Tour de l'Avenir, a race for young talents. Later that year, he won the omnium at a 2014–15 UCI Track Cycling World Cup event in London.

Fernando's big breakthrough on the road came in January 2015. He surprised everyone at the 2015 Tour de San Luis, an important early-season race. He won the first stage by starting his sprint early and beating the famous Mark Cavendish. Cavendish later said he had never heard of Gaviria before that race! Fernando then won the third stage, again beating Cavendish.

After these impressive wins, many top cycling teams wanted to sign Fernando. He decided to ride for the Colombian national team in 2015. Later, he signed a contract for 2016 with Cavendish's team, Etixx–Quick-Step. This team's manager, Patrick Lefevere, admitted it was a "mistake" not to sign him earlier.

In February 2015, Fernando competed for Colombia at the track World Championships. He won the gold medal in the omnium competition. He was very consistent in all six parts of the race. In the final points race, he gained an early lap, which gave him a big lead. This win earned him the special rainbow jersey, worn by world champions.

Racing with Etixx–Quick-Step (2015–2018)

Fernando Gaviria joined Etixx–Quick-Step as a stagiaire in August 2015. A stagiaire is a trainee rider who gets to race with a professional team. He finished eighth in his first race with them, the 2015 RideLondon–Surrey Classic.

His first individual win for the team came in the Czech Cycling Tour. He then won a stage at the 2015 Tour of Britain, beating many top sprinters.

The year 2016 started just as well. He won a team time trial and another stage at the 2016 Tour de San Luis. In March, he made history by becoming the first rider to win two gold medals in the omnium at the 2016 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. He successfully defended his title from the previous year. He also won his first UCI World Tour race stage at 2016 Tirreno–Adriatico.

Gaviria after winning Stage 4 of the 2017 Tour of Britain

In 2017, Fernando raced in the 2017 Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's biggest races. He won Stage 3 in a sprint finish. This win also put him in the lead for the overall race, earning him the pink jersey. He continued to win Stages 5, 12, and 13 in sprints. This made him the first Colombian to win four stages in a single Giro d'Italia!

In July 2018, he started the 2018 Tour de France. He won Stage 1, which meant he wore the famous yellow jersey on Day 2. Unfortunately, he had to leave the race later due to a crash. He also broke his collarbone at the Tour of Turkey, which ended his 2018 season.

Moving to UAE Team Emirates (2019–2022)

After his injury, Fernando joined the UAE Team Emirates team in 2019. In his first season with them, he won Stage 3 of the 2019 Giro d'Italia. This was his fifth win in total at the Giro. Earlier that year, he won a stage at the 2019 UAE Tour. He finished the year with two more wins at the 2019 Tour of Guangxi.

Fernando won six more races in 2020, including the Giro della Toscana, a one-day race. In 2021, he had one victory: Stage 3 of the 2021 Tour de Pologne.

He started 2022 strong, winning two stages and the points classification at the 2022 Tour of Oman. He also finished second at 2022 Eschborn–Frankfurt. He then competed in the 2022 Giro d'Italia, where he finished second on two stages and third on one.

Joining Movistar Team (2023–Present)

For the 2023 season, Fernando Gaviria joined Movistar Team. In his first year with the team, he won two stages. One was at the 2023 Tour de Romandie and the other at the 2023 Vuelta a San Juan. He began 2024 with a win on the first day of the 2024 Tour Colombia.

Major Achievements in Road Cycling

Grand Tour Results Over the Years

Grand Tour	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
Giro d'Italia	129	—	DNF	DNF	109	128	118	137
Tour de France	—	DNF	—	—	—	—	—	DNF
Vuelta a España	—	—	147	—	—	—	—

Results in Classic Races

Major Achievements in Track Cycling

Images for kids

• 

  Fernando Gaviria at the 2018 Münsterland Giro

See also

In Spanish: Fernando Gaviria para niños