The cyclist Nairo Quintana grew up in a little Colombian village in the Andes. He had to traverse the 16 kilometers to school every day on an old mountain bike. With this head start, born out of necessity, he became a professional cyclist. In 2014 he won the Giro (the tour of Italy) and in 2016 the Vuelta (the tour of Spain). In the tour the France in 2013 he was second in the overall classification, first in the ranking for young riders and of course the best climber in the peloton, which earned him the Polka Dot Jersey. This book will take you to Colombia, Italy and France covering several stages in Quintana's  life. We follow him in episodes with his family, or in stages of big races either with his teammates or on his own. Yet the story is about more than cycling alone, it is about the Andes, Colombia, family, friendship and the drive to overcome difficulties. 

Features

• written in past tense
• Spanish with several Latin-American characteristics: more use of personal pronouns than in Spain, and the use of 'ustedes' instead of 'vosotros'.
• setting: Colombia and beyond

Information for teachers

This is the perfect novel to read with your level 3-4 classes, AP Spanish classes as well as IB Spanish classes. It is based on real events, which makes it very appealing, but it’s intertwined in a very compelling story that will touch your heart. It has a lot of cultural components, and since it tackles a relevant and current topic, you can find a lot of authentic support materials online (songs, news report, videos), that you could use along with the book. It has a glossary organised by chapters, which helps students find the words easier.

Would you like to order a class set? We will give you a 10% discount on 25 or more copies of the same title. Please, order the novels via e-mail. Due to relatively small stock numbers, please allow 2-3 weeks for your order.

*All books and novels are copyright protected, which means that copying this book for use in your classroom is not permitted.