The Tour de France has arrived in France and among the peloton there is also a rider that the Sannio region now follows as if he were one of their own. Because Einer Rubio, Colombian by birth, has become Campanian by adoption.

He has lived in Pago Veiano for almost ten years, trains on the roads of the Benevento province, and whenever his commitments allow, he always returns there. It's not just a logistical base. It's his home.

He arrives there after traveling the world wearing the Movistar jersey, with a Giro d'Italia stage victory, two consecutive top finishes in the general classification, and a career now firmly established at the highest levels of international cycling. Yet it takes a youth race in the Fortore region for Rubio to climb into the team car and accompany his nephew Luis, like any uncle passionate about cycling.

"BETWEEN POGACAR AND VINGEGAARD I CHOOSE JONAS. HE SEEMS MORE HUMAN TO ME"

We met him precisely in Foiano di Val Fortore, during the first Cronoscalata del Fortore. There were no Tour photographers or foreign television crews. There were children, families, and many young riders chasing the dream of becoming professionals.

Rubio had come mainly to follow his nephew Luis, who went on to win the regional title among first-year Esordienti, but inevitably the conversation turned to the Tour de France.

The duel between Pogacar and Vingegaard had already begun in the questions. The answer surprises with its simplicity: "They are two extraordinary champions, but if I have to choose, I choose Jonas. He seems more human to me."

No tactical analysis. No provocation. Just the feeling of someone who shares the peloton with those champions and knows perfectly well what it means to race alongside them.

"WE'LL GO ON THE ATTACK. IT'S THE ONLY WAY"
Movistar doesn't start with particular ambitions for the general classification. Rubio knows this perfectly. That's why the objective will be what has often characterized the Spanish team in recent years. "The tactic will be the same we adopted at the Giro. We'll try to make the stages exciting, get into breakaways, and try to win one. It will be a very tough Tour, it will be extremely hot, but we're ready."

It's ideal terrain for an explosive climber like him. The same one who shook things up at the Crans-Montana finish in 2023.

CRANS-MONTANA, THE DAY THE WORLD DISCOVERED RUBIO
The victory in the thirteenth stage of the 2023 Giro d'Italia still represents the highest moment of his career today. That day Rubio attacked on the climb with his style. Sharp accelerations. Extremely high pace. No fear. It was the definitive consecration after years spent growing away from the spotlight, even though as an amateur he had already won the Capodarco classic and the Dimaro stage at the U23 Giro.

In the last three Giros, however, he has been more than just a stage hunter. He has shown consistency, finishing twice among the best in the general classification and confirming himself as one of the most reliable climbers on the international scene. In the recently concluded Corsa Rosa, he was the third-best climber, behind Ciccone and Vingegaard.

An evolution that makes him today one of Movistar's leading men for the Tour as well.

THE CLASH WITH CICCONE? "IN A RACE IT'S WAR"
The last Giro also closed with one of the most debated moments of the edition. The clash with Giulio Ciccone during the nineteenth stage, the one won by Sepp Kuss at Alleghe, had heated tempers. First the sprint at Red Bull KM. Then the mountain pass. Finally the back-and-forth in front of the microphones.

Rubio, however, today recounts everything with great serenity. "Television can't tell you what really happens during a race. We had talked. Then Lidl-Trek changed the cards on the table. It was a day of total war."

But there's a phrase that sums up his way of understanding cycling. "Anything can happen in a race. It's part of the game. Let's move on calmly." Words that definitively close an incident that remained confined to the road.

THE STORY THAT BEGAN IN PAGO VEIANO
Yet perhaps none of this would ever have existed without a phone call. The one that, in 2017, convinced an eighteen-year-old Colombian boy to leave Boyacá to reach Sannio. Aran Cucine Vejus offered him an opportunity. He transformed it into a life. He learned Italian by living in the town.

He adapted to local culture. He discovered that those climbs were perfect for training. Above all, he met the woman who would become his wife. The daughter of the team president. Today Pago Veiano is not simply the place where he lives. It's the place where he decided to build his future. The champion who doesn't forget where he came from.

In Foiano, after the race, Rubio stayed to talk with everyone. Photos. Autographs. Advice for the young riders. Then he calmly headed back home. No escort. No attitude of an arrived professional. Just a Colombian boy who almost ten years ago arrived in Sannio to race for an Under 23 team and who today is preparing to face the Tour de France.

Between Pogacar and Vingegaard, he will be there too. With legs built on the mountains of the world. And with a heart that, by now, beats strongly on the hills of Sannio.