Coming from Medellín in Colombia, which is nicknamed the “City of Eternal Spring”, it is fitting then that Juliana’s vibrant smile radiates her positive attitude to life, which has seen her move over to Europe as she chases her dream of being a professional cyclist.
However, Juliana didn’t start off in the sport of cycling and instead was mostly a skater in her younger years. An active child, she also did gymnastics, swimming, dance – “a bit of everything really” and then used cycling as part of her training for skating.
“To start with I hated the bike, but then I did it more and started to enjoy it. I saw I was making progress and from there it kept going and now here I am. It’s all happened in quite a short time too because it was only three years ago that I started cycling properly, so sometimes I still can’t quite believe I’m where I am now!”
After a very impressive 2023 in the junior category which saw her win every stage at the Vuelta del Futuro in Colombia, the Pan-America ITT title, and a rainbow jersey on the track in the omnium event; Juliana made the move across to Europe for 2024 where she rode with the UCI WCC team.
“I was really excited, but also nervous because it was my first time being so far away from my home without my parents. It was a new experience with different people in a new place, but it was a great step for me. Not only on the bike but also in my life too.”
Fully jumping into her new lifestyle, Juliana adapted to life abroad in Switzerland where she worked hard on improving her English which by her own admission is “much better” than it was a couple of years ago.
Initially quiet and introverted when she meets new people, Juliana thinks that once she settles in and gets comfortable with those around her that her more outgoing and talkative side comes out.
Fiercely competitive, Juliana has a burning desire within to be the best version possible of herself and is excited at taking on the challenge of making the step up to the WorldTour with the team.
“I think for now my biggest skill is in the sprint, but I want to be more of a complete rider. With the team I think I can improve that and see where my abilities take me in the future.”
When she’s not spending time on the bike, Juliana is like most youngsters, and she likes to spend her free time with her friends or family or catching the latest films or series that have been released. Controversially, we’re not sure what our Italian quartet will think of her favourite pizza style – Hawaiian – so there will probably be some hot debates in the Women’s program coming up!