Diego Camargo takes Vuelta a Colombia lead after queen stage victory

The Vuelta a Colombia 2026 has seen a significant shift in leadership following the fifth stage, known as the queen stage. After dominating the first four days with four consecutive stage victories, Wilmar Andrés Paredes lost the overall lead during the grueling climb to Alto del Sifón.

Diego Camargo of Team Medellín-EPM won the fifth stage, finishing with a time of 5:04:09, and assumed the general classification leadership with a total time of 21:28:08. Javier Jamaica of NU Colombia follows in second place, 38 seconds behind, while Édgar Andrés Pinzón of Team Sistecrédito is in third, 1 minute and 4 seconds behind.

The competition has been marked by external challenges, including a recent earthquake in Colombia. In response to the disaster, the Funre Vima Machine team officially withdrew from the race to support affected families. Additionally, Guatemalan cyclist Mardoqueo Vásquez of Team Hino-One-La Red delivered a strong performance in the mountains, climbing to eighth place in the general classification and taking the lead for the best foreign rider.