Martin ‘Cochise’ Rodriguez, Legend of Colombian Cycling, Admitted to Hospital
This Friday, September 4, Martin Emilio ‘Cochise’ Rodriguez Gutierrez, a true legend of Colombian cycling, was admitted to the Clinica Medellin de Occidente, in the Antioquian capital.
Medical reports known this Saturday indicate that the four-time champion of the Vuelta a Colombia and also former world cycling champion woke up with a notable improvement, but specialists decided that he should remain hospitalized to receive the corresponding treatment.
“He is undergoing medical checkups for presenting dizziness and heart failure, as informed to us by his wife, Maria Cristina,” reported Jesus Piedrahita, executive of the Orgullo Paisa team, quoted by El Colombiano.
Long history of triumphs
‘Cochise’ Rodriguez, 84 years old, belongs to the Orgullo Paisa team as one of its greatest sporting glories.
What ‘Cochise’ Rodriguez means for cycling and Colombian sports can be dimensioned considering that he was the pioneer who opened international doors, especially to Europe, to the generations that followed him. That was one of the reasons for him to receive the award as the Colombian athlete of the 20th century.
But first he imposed his power in the country. He won four Vuelta a Colombia titles (1963, 1964, 1966, and 1967) and established a record hard to beat: 39 stage wins throughout his career in the maximum national event. He also won the Clasico RCN in 1963 and added 12 partial victories, in addition to a three-time championship in the Vuelta al Tachira in Venezuela (1966, 1968, and 1971).
He arrived in Europe as a luxury domestique for star Felice Gimondi, in the Bianchi-Campagnolo team. Rodriguez was the first Colombian cyclist to win stages in a Grand Tour, prevailing in the fifteenth stage of the 1973 Giro d’Italia and repeating the feat in the nineteenth stage of the 1975 edition. In Italy he also conquered the prestigious Baracchi Trophy in 1973 alongside Gimondi and the Grand Prix City of Camaiore.
On October 7, 1970, he set the amateur world hour record on track, at the Agustin Melgar Velodrome in Mexico City, after covering 47.566 kilometers. A year later, at the 1971 Varese Track Cycling World Championships, he put on the rainbow jersey by becoming world champion in the 4,000-meter individual pursuit. He also triumphed in Pan American, Central American, and Bolivarian Games.
Tribute from the Mayor’s Office of Medellin
‘Cochise’ Rodriguez, who has not gotten off the bicycle and usually rides on the track at the Aeroparque Juan Pablo II, and also goes on rides to nearby municipalities, received last March a tribute from the Mayor’s Office of Medellin, the city where he was born.
At that time, Mayor Federico Gutierrez announced the renovation of the velodrome that bears the cyclist’s name, a work expected for years by athletes, coaches, and the track cycling community, which will allow recovering one of the most representative venues in the city.
The Martin Emilio Cochise Rodriguez Velodrome, inaugurated in 1956 and named in honor of the Colombian cycling legend, has been the venue for continental competitions and training processes for generations of athletes.
However, the passage of time deteriorated its infrastructure, evidenced by cracks on the track, leaks, and technical limitations that prevented hosting international events.