Clásico RCN
| Date | October |
|---|---|
| Region | Colombia |
| English name | RCN Classic |
| Local name(s) | Clásico RCN (Spanish) |
| Discipline | Road race |
| Competition | UCI |
| Type | Stage race |
| First edition | 1961 |
| Editions | 55 (as of 2015) |
| First winner |
 Rubén Darío Gómez (COL)
|
| Most wins |
Rafael Antonio Niño (COL) (5 wins) |
| Most recent |
Ómar Mendoza (COL)
|
The Clásico RCN (Spanish for RCN Classic) is an annual cycling road race that takes place over many stages through different regions of Colombia during October. It is organized by the Colombian Cycling Federation.
The event is sponsored by Radio Cadena Nacional, which is one of the oldest and largest radio networks in Colombia, and by a network of Colombian business in Medellín "Empresas Públicas de Medellín". The Clásico RCN and the Vuelta a Colombia are the most important stage races in Colombia.
The first event was held in 1961 and was won by Ruben Dario Gomez. Many well-known Colombian cyclists have won the event, including Martín Emilio Rodríguez, Fabio Parra, Luis Herrera and Rafael Antonio Niño.
During the 1980s, the Clásico RCN held several "open" events in which professional cycling teams from Europe came and competed in the race. It has been written that the reason for this was for Elite professionals in Europe to get altitude training in the early season in Colombia. Some of the teams competing in the Clásico RCN during the eighties included Peugeot-Shell-Michelin, Renault-Elf-Gitane, SEM-France Loire, La Vie Claire, Zor and Reynolds which resulted in stage wins by Pascal Simon, Laurent Fignon, Bernard Hinault, Charly Mottet and Martial Gayant. In the 1992 edition of the Clásico RCN, the Carrera Jeans–Vagabond and Festina cycling teams competed where Sean Kelly, Claudio Chiappucci, Thomas Wegmuller won stages of the event.
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