Rigoberto Urán to retire at end of 2024 season - 'We have reached the end'

Rigoberto Urán has announced that he will retire at the end of the current season, after 19 years in the professional peloton. 

Urán’s current team, EF Education-EasyPost, made the announcement after the Tour Colombia, where the 37-year-old was starting his 2024 season. 

It had been reported that the Colombian was considering retirement and his team then confirmed that a decision was made and the current season would be his last in the sport. 

“As a cyclist, I believe the time has come to say: we have reached the end,” Urán said in a statement released by EF. 

“It has taken me a long time to come to this decision,” he added. “It is something I have thought long and hard about. The truth is that it is scary. Cycling has given me everything in life. 

“For almost 23 years, my aim was to get up, eat breakfast, and ride my bike. I was a part of a team that took me to the major races around the world. Now that is going to end.”

In a recent interview with Cyclingnews, Urán suggested that he feared the prospect of retirement but a decision has now been made. 

“It’s not easy, and a lot of people have struggled with it, not just in cycling but in every sport,” he explained to Cyclingnews at the Tour Colombia. “You often spend more nights in the year sharing a room with a teammate than with your wife. 

"It’s a life where you have lots of people doing everything for you. And when you finish, you don’t have that anymore.”

Throughout his long career, Urán has ridden for a variety of major teams including some of the very biggest in the WorldTour. He started out at Tenax-Salmilano in 2006 before going on to ride for Team Sky between 2011 and 2013. Urán then rode for Omega Pharma- Quick-Step before joining Cannondale, which later became EF Education, in 2016. 

Urán has claimed 14 professional victories to date which includes stage wins at all three of the Grand Tours. The Colombian narrowly missed out on overall Grand Tour victory on three occasions. He finished second twice at the Giro d’Italia in 2013 and 2014 and took second place at the 2017 Tour de France behind Chris Froome. 

Another notable moment for the Colombian was the 2012 London Olympics. Urán won a silver medal in the road race, which finished on the Mall, behind Kazakhstan's Alexander Vinokourov.

EF have not confirmed Urán’s final race although it is likely to be after the Olympics this summer. The Colombian said he would look to make the most of his final year racing. 

“I'm going to try to enjoy it, give my best in the races, and race every one like it is my last,” Urán said. “This season will be a thank you, a thank you very much. I only have gratitude for the team, for all the people, all the many coaches and many teammates who were always there to help me over the past 20-plus years.”