Ulysses Castillo connects new generations abroad

Ulysses Castillo reflects that his passion for cycling originated since he was very young: at the age of six, he entered a race in Children’s Day due to his illusion of winning a bike. He remembers that in that competition he was really bad, but his interest in cycling grew and grew, in part inspired by one of his cousins ​​who invited him to a more fit exercise, first on a regular bike that Santa Claus gave him.

Despite the fact that his father liked to dedicate himself to football, his parents’ support was never lacking, especially as the competitions moved from local leagues to national championships and he needed more specialized equipment and resources for trips he did not make. Receive for part of your state.

Today, Sinaloa, a native of Los Mochis, is a national champion in road cycling, and in the men’s branch, the Mexican was the best in this way in the UCI’s ranking. His desire to grow in this major led him to establish relationships in different countries, as he competed with teams from Switzerland, Belgium and the United States; Since 2021, he has belonged to the Wildlife Generation Pro Cycling Team.

“In order to keep growing, from team to team and for a bigger team to look at you, they must get to know you. When running in Mexico, how little they know you, and not have enough confidence in you; if things start to go well, they always They think about it more than once to give you confidence This was one of the reasons why we looked abroad and because teams abroad always have more international calendar, they work with more teams and what I’ve always strived for is to try to keep growing as an athlete.

“And more than anything, if one does well there, and in the future if new men come out, to be able to establish more relationships outside the country. In Mexico there is a lot of talent but we also need a bridge and the right person who can guide young people through the process. What can connect them to bigger teams so that they can develop all the talents they have. This is one of the reasons I love being abroad, to build more relationships and in the future to be able to be in good contact so that I’m able to help new generations, ” Castillo told El Economista.

The 29-year-old cyclist who represented the states of Sonora and Guanajuato, where he received more support, indicated that in Mexico there are conditions necessary for the development of cycling, places of altitude, climbing, plains, waterways, as well as sports professionals can count on performance in the best Their cases. The proof of this is that Mexico has such important representatives as Daniela Galaxy and Jessica Salazar, ranked 2nd and eighth in a row in the UCI ranking for cycling on the track; Gerardo Ulloa is number 24 in the mountains.

On the financial side, he notes that although practicing this discipline is expensive, brands are open in Mexico to support athletes. He did not seek endorsements to avoid conflicts of interest with the brands sponsoring his team.

“The Bone,” as Ulises is called, gets most of what he needs from Wildlife Generation Pro Cycling. She worked alone for two years with Benito Flores, Endurance Sports Training Specialist and CEO of B-Metrics, as well as a Dietitian.

The athlete also receives support from the states of Guanajuato and Konadi. He also has as a source of income a bike shop in Sinaloa run by his brother.

He shared that the amount of prizes in the competitions is very variable, “There are races that have a lot of prestige and may not give you anything, it is more value to win the race and maybe the team can pick you up, but there are some races that also pay you well, here in Mexico there are races that give 70,000 80,000 pesos, and thus down to 30,000 pesos. “

One of Castillo’s short-term goals was to have space in Tokyo for road cycling. It is known that the next national tournament in June will be considered for qualification, but the cancellation of other points award events has created uncertainty over how the ticket will be determined.

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