Victor Hugo Pena comes to Rock Racing after years of riding for teams like, Vitalicio Seguros, U.S. Postal Service, Phonak, and Unibet. He was the first Columbian rider ever to wear the Maillot Jaune in the Tour de France, wearing the yellow jersey for three days in 2003. In 2000, he won stage 11 of the Giro d’Italia.

Photo by Ken Conley

Pena finished the 2008 Amgen Tour of California in a very respectable 12th place. We sat down with Pena to review the events surrounding Rock Racing in the Tour of California and discuss what’s next for the team.

How do you feel Rock Racing performed in the Tour of California?
I feel we did really well. We missed those guys (Tyler Hamilton, Santiago Botero, and Oscar Sevilla). With those guys we would have put on a big show because they were in really good condition. We had a good race and I am happy about my riding. I did have some problems with my time trial but am still happy with my racing. I was able to climb with the first group…the really hard climbs…I was right there with the climbers. (Pena finished 10th in Stage 3 of the Amgen Tour of California from Modesto to San Jose, California). This made me feel like I was back again. I was really ill last year. Now that I am healthy, I am feeling very good.

I believe in this dream…the dream that Michael Ball has about the new cycling…about the new movement in cycling. I believe that we need to show cycling to the world…to show the racing….to market the sport to the people. I believe in that. I hope to bring a lot of my experiences to this team.

Do you see your role on Rock Racing as a mentor?
I do see that as my role. I am happy to teach the new guys and even the staff, and the mechanics about being on a team. They really do not know how the cycling world works. I see the staff working hard and do what I tell them to do. It’s about teaching them how a cycling team works. It’s really nice to see. I see this team growing and growing. I really see this team becoming one of the premier teams in the world.

How do your personal goals work with Rock Racing?
We have the Tour de Georgia coming up and I am hoping we get an invitation because I want to ride in it. The Tour de Georgia has a team time trial. It would be nice if we could ride this. I am looking to not only ride this race but win this for my team. I can climb…my climbing will be even better for this race. We shall see but I feel good.

Will Hamilton, Botero, and Sevilla be on the Tour de Georgia team? Will they ride for Rock racing this year?
This is still a question mark. We need to know soon. This is difficult for me to understand…it’s frustrating. I don’t know anything about the official rules and I don’t understand how the UCI can say no to these riders. It’s more than affecting the team…it’s affecting our lives. It’s like these guys are being kicked…treated like they are criminals. They have families…they have wives and kids. They are good people. I can tell you that Santi (Botero) is well educated. He went to university and is very smart. These things matter. How these guys are being treated now is difficult for me to understand.

Michael (Ball) wants to talk to the race organizers to see if we can have the full team ride. This is what I want. I want everyone to be able to ride.

This new team is really good. This is another way to view cycling. It’s not only about the speed, about the fastest climber….it’s simply another way to view the race. We try to bring people to see the races….to make it exciting. We want to win races. I am very happy to be part of this team.