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Israel Antonio Ochoa Plazas (born in Paipa on August 26, 1964) is a veteran Colombian professional road racing cyclist who rides for Lotería de Boyacá.

He's one of the most long-lasting and currently winning (despite advanced age) male professional rider ever. His carrer started in the golden times of "los escarabajos" in late 1980s when many races were still ruled by Lucho Herrera and Fabio Parra and you might have still encountered Café de Colombia's jerseys leading the peloton. He was then a dangerous contender (or team-mate sometimes) of the following generations that popped up till all the 1990s, some of them making a mark (more or less significantly) in European roads too like Álvaro Mejía, Oliverio Rincón, Leonardo Sierra, Cacaíto Rodríguez, Álvaro Sierra, Hernán Buenahora, Chepe González, Libardo Niño, José Castelblanco, Santiago Botero, Félix Cárdenas, Carlos Contreras, Víctor Hugo Peña, Iván Parra and Freddy González, among others. During his sporadic international participations Ochoa also ran into the rise of some emerging champions as Lance Armstrong (1991 Settimana Bergamasca), Alex Zülle (1991 GP Tell), Marco Pantani (1994 Ruta México) and next to some who were already big names like Claudio Chiappucci (1992 Clásico RCN), Laurent Fignon (1993 Ruta México), Gianni Bugno (1993 Ruta México), Miguel Indurain (1995 World Championships). He pedaled strongly as always through the "darkest years" of Colombian cycling (from Botero's outstanding 2002 season to Soler's wins in 2007 approximately) and unbelievably still stands up to the massive, pushing, unstoppable generational turnover lead especially by the talented 1986-1990's new blood.

Nowadays, although sometimes in poor health, "El Rápido" (the nickname came to mind watching his fast pace in the flat during Clásico RCN) doesn't give up to show off once again his well-know resistance and time-trialist skills. He keeps on winning at least 2-3 races per year thanks to almost monastic commitment to his job, huge costancy, matchless experience, surly helped by environmental factors (e.g. living at an altitude of +2500 meters) and by the overall extension of sportsmen's career lenght in last few years (due to medical, scientific, nutritional, social, etc... evolutions). Realistically he doesn't seem capable to fight for most important events general classification anymore, where he still remains an excellent lieutenant and stages-hunter anyway. Besides, he defends proudly and with good results Boyacá Department in National Championships yearly.

Early career (1982–1991)
Teen-aged Ochoa started being quite taken from cycling when he saw some races passing in front of his father's workshop. It was the Rafael Antonio Niño's repeated triumphs age. His first challenge, registered for a local cycle touring squad and mounting a sold on credit bike, was in his hometown during 1982. Later that year he took part in more famous and traditional Clásico Nacional de Turismeros, the oldest race in Cundinamarca Department. Organized by Cicloases club, it reminds the days when most competitions were ride in the saddle of touring bicycles (Cochise Rodríguez was among those "pioneers" in late 1950s). Herrera was 21st there just five years before. Ochoa ends 120th.

During following four seasons he took everything a little more seriously, moving to a real amateur team (Joyerías Felipe) and focusing mainly on Vuelta de la Juventud, the Colombian top event for who's less than 23 years old, where he will be 36th in 1983, 27th in 1984 and 22nd in 1986. In 1985 he's also 11th in Clásica Santander and 12th in Clásica Super (won by Oliverio Rincón) in 1986.

Finally Ochoa turned professional on 1987, joining Pinturas Philaac under Carlos "Ramillete" Pérez. His debut in Colombian biggest races is promising. In late May he was 29th overall in Clásico RCN owned by Fabio Parra. In mid June then he finished much harder Vuelta a Colombia, won by Pablo Wilches on Lucho Herrera, in 49th place but riding aggressively and fighting for the intermediate sprints ranking. Pinturas Philaac was remarkable 4th in the 1st stage TTT as well beating Spanish Kelme team and the Soviet National one including also Andrei Tchmil, Alexandre Zinoviev, Ivan Ivanov and Andrei Teteriouk. Next season they made a big step forward by signing young climber Álvaro Sierra from Sogamoso because in the 1988 national tour Ochoa finished at least 3 times in the stage top-10, 15th in overall classification (won by Lucho Herrera) and helped Sierra taking a couple of victories.

In 1989 he moved to Café de Colombia making his first experiences abroad directed by legendary coach Roberto "El Oso" Sánchez and José "Chepe" Castro but mostly acting as domestique for Luís Felipe Moreno who that year won brilliantly Vuelta al Táchira, Ronde de l'Isard and Tour du Gévaudan, where Ochoa was 26th, King of the Mountains and *unknow* respectively. In April he ended Clásico RCN too in 33th place. He didn't at Vuelta a Colombia in June.

The 1990 season started again with Vuelta al Táchira under the Café de Colombia's heel: José Vicente Díaz and Augusto Triana (both died prematurely five years later, R.I.P.) one-two in GC, Díaz won points too, Buenahora mountains one and they got teams classification of course. Héctor Suesca, Chepe González and the same Ochoa achieved good results as well, resulting decisive for the sweep. Later in spring he was 2nd in Clásica Marco Fidel Suárez behind Oliverio Rincón, then he came back to France for Isard (17th, winner was Czech Jiri Toman) and Gévaudan (4th, winner was Soviet Eugeny Anaskine) where Suesca took sprints and mountains jerseys in both races and finally he was amateurs classification winner in Clásica de la Frontera (final GC to Manzana Postobón's Óscar de Jesús Vargas) in late September.

In first days of 1991 another team-mate native of Paipa came to the fore: Ángel Yesid Camargo (funnily enough, even if three years younger, he'll be Ochoa's directeur sportif at Lotería de Boyacá since second half of 2008). In Clásica del Gran Caldas first stage (January 4th) he got to be the first winner of the world cycling season taking that pleasure away from "El Rápido". He brought home also the final victory relegating Ochoa to the 5th place. Café de Colombia plundered the upcoming Vuelta al Táchira for the third consecutive time: Camargo won overall and points classifications, Ochoa 4th in GC just 46" behind and King of the Mountains, "cafeteros" (placing 5 riders in the top-10) led uncontested the teams ranking. Next week they lined up in GP Café Aguila Roja but were definitely exhausted. Anyhow Ochoa rode quite well first two days surrending only in final Alto de Patios (Bogotá) time-trial. On Febraury 17th he won with a surprise attack in last kilometers the Clásica de Boyacá closing stage, a circuit between Duitama and his Paipa. In the second half of March it came the Clásico RCN's 31th edition. At his fifth participation Ochoa ended just 18th overall but finally took a win in an important event. After a breakway with his namesake Israel "Pinocho" Corredor, he beat him in a uphill sprint finishing 6th stage in Armenia. Team designated leader Camargo abandoned that day due to stomachache but Café de Colombia still fulfil the expectations with two more stages and three jerseys of minor importance won by Chepe González. In mid April they flew to cold Northern Italy to run Settimana Bergamasca, a race opened to both professional and amateurs cyclists that will be remembered as the first Lance Armstrong's victory in Europe. Ochoa was 14th in final general classification, a little bit behind Pantani (10th). Camargo won Clásica del Meta in late July and the same group including Chepe González, Libardo Niño and Ochoa too went back to Europe for August top amateurs competitions: GP Tell and World Championships in Stuttgart. The former was taken by local star Alex Zülle with Camargo 5th overall 1'18" far (2nd in mountains), Luis Espinosa 7th, Niño 8th (3rd in mountains and 2nd in sprints), González 14th, Ochoa 31st, Agustín Castiblanco 35th. They were also teams classification sub-champions behind Schweiz Rot. In the latter won the Soviet Victor Rjaksinski. Italian Davide Rebellin and Swiss Beat Zberg completed the podium. Colombian squad performance was poor with Camargo and Ochoa retired. Rúber Albeiro Marín, just 18th, obtained the best placement. The season was not over yet. In early September they ran Vuelta a la Costa, an one week tour starting from Maracaibo (Venezuela) and ending in Barranquilla (Colombia) won by a brillant Libardo Niño. In October then it was the time of Clásica Norte de Santander (Ochoa 5th overall?), Clásica de Santander (Kelme's Buenahora with Café's Niño and Delgado taking mountains and sprints jerseys respectively) and Clásica Super (Niño again). But 1991 autumn rumour and cover news later was the biggest Colombian team ever, Café de Colombia, that previous year already cut down budget and activity significantly, was going to stop.

Maturity years (1992–1996)
At 27 Israel Ochoa joined Gaseosas Glacial, a new - although already riding along national roads in 1991 with riders as Héctor Patarroyo, Santiago Amador, Israel Corredor, Rubén Darío Beltrán, etc... - Colombian professional cycling team managed by Carlos Pérez, his former coach at Pinturas Philaac in 1987 and 1988. Big names like veteran Pablo Wilches from Cundinamarca and Luis Alberto "El Pollo" González from Caldas were put under contract and given the roles of leader.

199x 2nd in Vuelta al Táchira??