A month after being fired from the Astana Cazacustan team and a week after moving to the Colombian Continental team, Medellín EPM, Miguel Ángel López won the first edition of the Clasica de Villeta, a national-level race held in the Cundinamarca department near the Colombian capital, Bogata. He won the competition.

"It was an honor to ride in Villeta with a group of cyclists. I enjoyed the race. I feel good because I am with my family," Lopez told El Tiempo newspaper.

"Superman" attacked on the crucial Alto del Trigo climb, leaving Burgos-BH newcomer Andres Camilo Ardila behind to win solo. 93.5 km race consisted of 19 hilly laps, with a 2.3 km climb to the finale. The finale was a 2.3 km climb.

Behind Camilo Ardila, Oscar Sevilla held off Yeshid Sierra to give Medellín-EPM its second podium finish.

Medellín-EPM's sporting director, José Julián Velázquez, posted on the team's Twitter: "First "Supermán" of the year. Preparations for the Vuelta a San Juan are going well."

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Because next week's Vuelta a San Juan will see the start line for both Astana and Movistar, as well as WorldTour teams Ineos Grenadier, Soudal Quickstep, Bora-Hansgrohe, Team DSM and Trek-Segafredo, Lopez will have the awkward position of racing against his former teammates.

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Astana Cazacustan first suspended Lopez in August for his alleged ties to Dr. Marcos Maynar Marinho, who was arrested in May on suspicion of drug trafficking and money laundering.

Later, as the investigation continued, the team was forced to end his suspension, stating: "Based on the information received, the Astana Cazacustan team will continue the suspension, pending the outcome of any investigation by Spanish authorities or the UCI, advised that they cannot be further deprived of their contractual rights.

In November, Lopez announced that he had extended his contract with Astana, but on December 13, the team cited "new facts" in the investigation and said it had "no solution other than to terminate the contract with immediate effect."

The day after the team fired Lopez, it expressed interest in signing Mark Cavendish, who had been in the wind after the collapse of the Pinault brothers' B&B Hotels project.

In a statement through his lawyer, Lopez said he had no new information on the matter and said this week that he had "nothing to regret because I did not dope and my biological passport is clean."

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