Rigoberto Urán announces his retirement

After numerous rumors about his continuity as a professional, Rigoberto Urán announced last November something he just confirmed after the Tour de Colombia, the Colombian will continue until the Paris Olympic Games after which he will end his successful career as a professional cyclist.

2024 will be Rigoberto Urán's last active season

“I'm going to give it until next year, we're going to do the Olympics and bye”, Urán said last November in an interview on Caracol Radio.

Something he just reiterated more extensively during a recent interview with Cyclingnews: 

"As a cyclist, I think the time has come to say: we have reached the end". "It took me a long time to make this decision. It's something I've thought a lot about. The truth is, it's scary. Cycling has given me everything in life"

"For almost 23 years, my goal was to get up, have breakfast and ride a bike. I was part of a team that took me to the main races around the world. Now that's going to end". "This season will be one of gratitude. I only have gratitude towards the team, all the people, all the many coaches and many teammates who were always there to help me over the last 20 plus years".

The EF Education-Easy Post would thus end 18 years in the professional peloton in which he has gone through teams such as the Movistar structure when it was called Caisse d’Epargne, Team Sky and, in his last stage, linked to EF Education-EasyPost. A career in which, without a tremendous number of victories, only 14, which may seem few compared to the numbers handled by the monsters of the current peloton, include stages in Giro, Tour and Vuelta and, above all, notable classifications with a couple of second places in the general of the Giro d'Italia and as many in the Tour de France as well as the silver medal in the 2012 Olympic Games held in London.

Precisely, the Paris Olympic Games will be the last race of Rigoberto Urán, one of the most beloved cyclists by the fans for his extroverted and affable character in addition to the spontaneity he shows in each of the interviews and statements he gives in which he does not bite his tongue at any time.

Initially, he had planned to have hung up the bike at the end of this 2023 season although, finally, the contract offer presented by EF Education-EasyPost convinced him to continue until the Olympic event. Apart from this race, the Colombian did not give more details about the calendar he will face during his reduced 2024 season.