Rigoberto Urán has closed out his skilled biking profession with a farewell occasion on the Atanasio Girardot stadium in Medellín on Sunday. The Colombian acquired the Medalla Categoría Oro, the very best award given by the Mayor’s Workplace, whereas amongst 8,000 followers.
“It is a very particular second for any bike owner. I could not do it within the Vuelta a España, however God is aware of how he does this stuff. Right this moment in Medellín, in entrance of all my folks and the members of the Giro de Rigo, witnesses of what will occur, I’m [retiring from] biking professionally,” Urán mentioned in a report printed in Marca.
“I simply need to say: Thanks, bicycle. Because of you I used to be in a position to obtain rather a lot, I used to be in a position to help my household, and I used to be in a position to battle and encourage a complete nation,”
Urán joined the festivities earlier within the day using alongside cyclists on the inaugural Giro de Rigo, an occasion for newbie riders.
He was additionally joined by Alejandro Valverde, Joaquim Rodríguez, Daniel Felipe Martínez, Sergio Higuita, Santiago Buitrago and Fernando Gaviria, who shared memorable profession moments.
“Being with him has all the time been a pleasure. What he has given to this nation has been rather a lot,” Valverde mentioned.
The celebration concluded within the night with extra tributes, hosted by his spouse, Michelle Durango, whereas the Mayor of Medellin, Federico Gutierrez, offered Urán with the Medalla Categoría Oro, as a tribute to his skilled biking profession.
Urán’s profession began in 2006 with an Irish-registered Italian squad, Tenax-Salmilano when he was simply 19. He went on to a 19-year profession racing for groups Unibet, Caisse d’Epargne, Sky Professional Biking, and QuickStep, and closed out his profession with EF Schooling-EasyPost.
His profession highlights included twice second general within the Giro d’Italia (2013, 2014) and second general within the Tour de France (2017), and a winner of phases in all three Grand Excursions. He additionally earned the silver medal within the males’s highway race on the London Olympic Video games in 2012. He additionally competed on the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Video games in 2016 and Tokyo Olympic Video games in 2021.
“We misplaced the gold in London, however we gained the gold in Medellín,” Urán laughed whereas talking about his profession experiences together with whereas representing Colombia on the Olympic Video games.
Urán confirmed that 2024 could be his remaining season as knowledgeable rider, making the official announcement on the conclusion of the Tour Colombia held in February. His remaining season didn’t go as deliberate having crashed on stage 8 on the Vuelta a España, he was pressured to desert the race with a fractured hip. He didn’t compete for the remainder of this season.
