Rafael Antonio Niño

Rafael Antonio Niño
Personal information
Full nameRafael Antonio Niño Munévar
NicknameEl Niño de Cucaita
Born (1949-12-11) 11 December 1949
Cucaita, Colombia
Team information
Current teamRetired
DisciplineRoad
RoleRider
Rider typeClimbing specialist
Amateur teams
1970Junta administradora de deportes
1971Singer
1972Postobón
1973Ferretería Reina Ltda
1975–1977Banco Cafetero
1978Benotto
1979Lotería de Boyacá
1980Droguería Yaneth
1981–1982Lotería de Boyacá
Professional team
1974Jollj Ceramica
Major wins
Vuelta a Colombia (6 times)
Clásico RCN (5 times)

Rafael Antonio Niño Munévar (born 11 December 1949) is a retired Colombian road racing cyclist. He won the Vuelta a Colombia in 1970. After that he became a professional cyclist from 1973 to 1974. He participated in the Giro d'Italia. After one year as a professional he returned to Colombia and set up the Banco Cafetero team of which he was the undisputed leader. With this strong team he dominated the Vuelta a Colombia and the Clásico RCN during the 1970s. He earned the nickname El Niño de Cucaita. He won a record six editions of the Vuelta a Colombia. After he retired he became a technical director of the Colombia professional cycling team, Café de Colombia, that participated in the Tour de France winning several stages during the 1980s.