“It’s the right time to turn the page”: David de la Cruz announces his retirement live

David de la Cruz has announced that he will end his career as a professional cyclist at the end of this season. At 37 years old and after 17 seasons in the peloton, the Spanish rider from the Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team has chosen precisely La Vuelta, the race in which he has experienced some of his best moments, to confirm a decision that has been rumored for weeks.

David de la Cruz announces live during La Vuelta that he is retiring

Although his team has released a statement reviewing his career, David de la Cruz wanted to be the one to announce his retirement in Spain. He did so live on RTVE right after finishing the time trial of La Vuelta.

The cyclist entered the broadcast set alongside Carlos de Andrés and Pedro Delgado and confirmed there that this will be his last season as a professional. In this way, he put an end to several weeks of rumors about his future and confirmed that his 12th participation in La Vuelta will also be his last.

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De la Cruz is currently facing his 20th Grand Tour, a figure that summarizes much of the longevity of a professional career that began 17 seasons ago and in which he has passed through Caja Rural, Team NetApp-Endura, Etixx-Quick Step, Team Sky, UAE Team Emirates, Astana Qazaqstan, and finally, Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team.

"I am proud to have been able to keep performing," explains De la Cruz in the statement released by his team. The Spaniard highlights that even in his last two seasons he has been able to remain competitive, with a top 10 in Tirreno-Adriático, a top 15 in this year's Giro, and several podiums last season.

"I believe I have done things the right way and have continued to perform until my last season. But I also feel that this is the right time to turn the page, to stop while things are still going well, and to make room for new generations", he assures.

La Vuelta, the race that marked his career

If there is one race particularly linked to David de la Cruz, it is La Vuelta. His great moment came in 2016, when he won the ninth stage finishing at Alto del Naranco and donned the red leader's jersey. That edition he finished in seventh place in the general classification, a result he would later repeat in 2020 and 2021.

Outside of Spain, he also achieved two stage victories in Paris-Nice and was part of the UAE Team Emirates that accompanied Tadej Pogačar in his first victory at the Tour de France in 2020. A particularly tough edition for De la Cruz, as he suffered a small fracture after the major crash on the opening day in Nice, but managed to continue and finish the race.

Among his last major results, the 2024 Spanish Time Trial Championship also stands out, which allowed him to wear the national champion's jersey for a season.

De la Cruz acknowledges that it is difficult to choose a single memory after so many years, although he points out as particularly important both that Vuelta of 2016 and the Tour of 2020 won by Pogačar.

"I would like to be at my best with the experience I have now"

The Spanish cyclist has also reflected on how much he has changed since he raced his first Vuelta in 2013. For him, one of the big differences is in the ability to interpret races and manage difficult moments.

"When you are no longer so young, you don't have the same level, but somehow you can compensate for that lack of power with experience. You read the race better. You understand yourself better," he explains.

He even admits that he would have liked to have that knowledge during his best physical years: "I would love to be at my best with the experience I have now. Then I could have really reached my full potential."

An experience that has also helped him to put into perspective what happens inside and outside of competition. "You learn that good moments are not so good and bad ones are not so bad", he summarizes.

A final breakaway before saying goodbye to La Vuelta

David de la Cruz has a few last days of competition in La Vuelta and has already hinted at what he would like to do before definitively saying goodbye to the race. During his intervention on RTVE, he explained that he will try to get into the breakaway of stage 19, seeking to be a protagonist and leave with a good final memory of his last Vuelta as a professional.

After that, the time will come to completely change pace. When asked by Carlos de Andrés and Pedro Delgado about what he plans to do once his career is over, De la Cruz revealed one of the projects he has in mind: to undertake a solo bikepacking trip through Vietnam.

It will be a very different way to stay connected to cycling after a career marked by 17 seasons as a professional, 20 Grand Tours, and 12 participations in La Vuelta.