Personal information | |
---|---|
Full name | Rafael Antonio Niño Munévar |
Nickname | El Niño de Cucaita |
Born |
Cucaita, Colombia |
December 11, 1949
Team information | |
Current team | Retired |
Discipline | Road |
Role | Rider |
Rider type | Climbing specialist |
Major wins | |
Vuelta a Colombia (6 times) Clásico RCN (5 times) |
Rafael Antonio Niño Munévar (born December 11, 1949 in Cucaita, Boyaca, Colombia) is a retired Colombian road racing cyclist. He won the Vuelta a Colombia in 1970. After that he became a professional cyclist from 1973 to 1974. He participated in the Giro d'Italia. After one year as a professional he returned to Colombia and set up the Banco Cafetero team of which he was the undisputed leader. With this strong team he dominated the Vuelta a Colombia and the Clásico RCN during the 1970s. He earned the nickname El Niño de Cucaita. He won a record six editions of the Vuelta a Colombia. After he retired he became a technical director of the Colombia professional cycling team that disputed the Tour de France during the 1980s, Café de Colombia.