Riding for the Movistar Team during adverse weather conditions in Italy, Andrey Amador scored the first major win of his career at the Giro d’Italia international cycling competition. According to Eurosport, Mr. Amador took off on sprints against French and Italian riders on the 14^th stage of the race at Cervinia.

The Giro d’Italia is known as a very challenging and mountainous course. Conditions today at Cervinia were chilly and humid, and Mr. Amador joined two competing racers on a final 26 kilometer climb to the finish line. The riders switched off on the lead a few times with speedy bursts uphill, but in the end Mr. Amador prevailed on sprints. The three racers managed to put 8 minutes between them and the main chase group.

This victory is very significant both for Costa Rica and for the 25-year old rider from San Jose, who was an unfortunate victim of violent crime at the end of 2010. On that occasion, Mr. Amador was conducting his final training session of the year when he was suddenly assailed by a group of criminals looking to steal his bicycle. As he was training solo at the time, Mr. Amador was forced to dismount by the individuals who approached him in two cars. He took off on foot, but the criminals caught up to him and knocked him unconscious.

Mr. Amador believes that one of the assailants shocked him with a Taser weapon, and once shocked they proceeded to beat him until he lost consciousness. He was abandoned on top of a rock near the bank of a river in San Rafael de Heredia, and when he woke up hours later he still had his cellphone in his pocket.

The next day Mr. Amador woke up and experienced pain and breathing difficulties. He also coughed up blood. Doctors at the Hospital Mexico near La Uruca determined he had suffered blunt trauma to his kidneys and lungs. Once he recovered from that ordeal, he made his debut at the Tour de France in 2011.

At the post-race press conference, Mr. Amador talked about his ethnicity. As published by Cycling News, he told the press that his blood is:

“25 percent Spanish, 25 percent Costa Rican and 50 percent Russian, but I feel totally Costa Rican. My skin color shows where I’m from.”

The current leader of the Giro d’Italia is Ryder Hesjedal, a Canadian rider from the Garmin-Barracuda team. The teams will be climbing up Piani dei Resinelli tomorrow for the 15^th stage of the circuit.