During our stay in Bogotá, one of our goals was to get to know the people behind the Esteban Chaves Foundation, and Spiro Bicycles made it possible. They organized a ride from their shop in the capital to the well-known Alto de Patios and back, in which we would check firsthand the talent of the development team riders that joined us.
The FUN Esteban Chaves is named after the rider who captivated us with his smile and performances over the past decade. The now-rider for EF Education—Easypost managed to race for a UCI WorldTeam after overcoming not only the typical hurdles of a cyclist, like injuries or sickness, but also an extra barrier given his country of birth in a sport that is Europe-centered.
When Esteban made it to Orica GreenEDGE in 2014, his father Jairo Chaves refocused all his energies on helping Brayan become a professional cyclist. “If you create opportunities for one, you should do it for his younger brother too”, expressed Jairo. At that moment Brayan was still 17 years old, and the cycling club Jairo was running was not enough to showcase the talent needed to catch the attention of the top teams. Such clubs are home to cyclists of all types, some more talented than others.
That is why Jairo decided to set up a trade team that would be more focused on competition and support the best riders in the area. This was unheard of in Colombia, but after dealing with all the paperwork with the national federation, the FUN Esteban Chaves was a reality in 2016.
Since then, more than 180 junior riders have been part of the team, with Santiago Buitrago and Einer Rubio being the most successful ones and still showing in Grand Tours what they learned during their teenage years. Brayan Chaves got a stagiaire contract with Mitchelton-Scott and then joined the development squad of the Aussie team. Everything looked on track until the pandemic hit. Brayan was suddenly in no-man’s land, putting a life project on hold. At first, he didn’t want to hear about bikes, but his father encouraged him to race the first edition of the Transcordilleras gravel race, where he found a new passion that has led him to be one of the best gravel riders in South America.
Even those who were at some point part of the team but couldn’t make a living from cycling benefitted enormously from their years in the Fundación. Jairo stressed the importance of teaching the values that they would need once they graduate. “In the team house, they learn how to cook, how to wash their clothes, clean their bike, and more. Some were used to having everything done by their parents, but we want them to be self-sufficient”, said Jairo. The house in Tenjo, north of Bogotá, has space for up to 20 riders, and although most are still living with their parents, the ones originally from other parts of Colombia are the ones spending the most time there.
An example of how disciplined they are is that everyone was punctual for our ride. After being introduced to Spiro Bicycles and familiarizing ourselves with their current portfolio of road and gravel bikes for all price ranges, we headed to Alto de Patios, the climb that locals tackle on a daily basis. The segment has over 2.8 million attempts recorded on Strava.
We took advantage of the kilometers leading to the climb to chat with the three young riders, because we knew that once we hit the steep ramps at over 2,600 meters of elevation we would be lacking the oxygen required to maintain a conversation.
William Quintero, Santiago Silva, and José Luis Morales, all of them born in 2007, showed how mature they are despite their young age. They are among the selected group of riders who excelled in the selection procedure that the team held at the start of last season. Even those who were already part of the team had to confirm their level if they wanted to continue being part of the Fundación, showing that if you are wearing the team kit it means you are among the best young riders in the country.
One could see that by the way all the cyclists we overtook on our way to the top looked at them, whispering “They are the guys from the Fundación” and trying to follow the wheel of the mustard yellow Spiro Legend bikes.
Spiro started collaborating with the Fundación a couple of years ago by loaning a batch of bikes. The official partnership between the young Colombian bike brand and the team was signed in March 2024 and it was a big step for them, as they would be able to race on carbon bikes that had already been tested in the most relevant national competitions.
We stopped for a warm choco, waiting for the team car to arrive. The guys explained to us that the FUN works like a professional team, with defined roles in each race. Most of the teams they compete against have vague instructions and everyone races for their own success. According to Jairo, the new sports director, who is a former cyclist, has provided the team with the race tactics and aggressivity they needed.
There is a clear similarity between FUN Esteban Chaves and Team Amani, and although they were not familiar with the East African squad, they agreed on the importance of visibility on social media.
“Nowadays social media allows you to show everything you do, but in the 80s there was a lot of talent lost because there was no way to prove things. These guys were born in an age with more competitors but also more advantages” – Jairo Chaves
The Chaves family is fully involved in the team. Jairo is the General Manager, giving advice to the riders that they can apply both in their professional and personal life, but also questioning them as if they were his kids. Carolina Rubio, his wife, was also involved since the beginning and is the Director of the Health Department. Esteban has always focused on the executive part, providing the team with the funds needed and guiding them. Brayan is currently in charge of the school club within the team that welcomes 60 kids from Bogotá ranging from 6 to 18 years old and provides them with training in the local velodrome.
