Today, Rigoberto Urán officially announced he will retire by the end of the 2024 season. For the past nine years, Rigo has been our leader and inspiration. The captain’s chair at the head of our team bus was his.
Rigo’s immense achievements on the bike, which include an Olympic medal, GC podiums at the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia, plus stage wins in all three grand tours, remain unforgettable souvenirs of his time as a racer. During his 19-year professional career, Rigo opened roads for South American cyclists and made millions of fans, as he rode away from the hardships of his youth in Urrao, Colombia to the heights of international superstardom.
“As a cyclist, I believe the time has come to say: we have reached the end,” Rigo said in an interview with the team before the Tour Colombia. “It has taken me a long time to come to this decision. It is something I have thought long and hard about. The truth is that it is scary. Cycling has given me everything in life.”
Rigo won’t rest on his laurels. In his home country, he is now a national hero, with an 80-episode TV series about his life, his own clothing brand, gran fondos, restaurants, and millions of Instagram followers. He will soon focus his boundless energy on his businesses and his family. First, he will race this season out.
“I’m going to try to enjoy it, give my best in the races, and race every one like it is my last,” Rigo 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.”
Rigoberto Urán is an exemplar to everyone.
“To meet a five-year-old boy who says, ‘Rigo, you inspire me to be a better person,’ for me that has all the weight,” Urán said. Great job, Rigo. Your seat in the bus will seem empty next year, but you will inspire us forever.
