'This boy was being held at gunpoint by paramilitaries': Inside the rise of Colombia's golden generation

Matt Rendell's latest book goes deep into the tough childhoods behind Colombia's cycling stars

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(Image credit: AFP via Getty Images)

"I knew the country had a population of over 40 million and I thought 'well if it's like it's depicted, everyone would have left'.

"What I found were people who are incredibly welcoming and grateful that you've seen through the sort of horror stories that you're drip-fed and, not that you've realised they're not true, but that they can't be representative because human beings don't live like that."

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