Rigoberto Urán (EF Education-EasyPost) won't be ending his professional cycling career with a bang but with a whimper. The 37-year-old, who planned to retire at the end of the season, crashed during stage 6 at the Vuelta a España and broke a bone in his hip, his team announced.
The Colombian fell during Thursday's 181-kilometre stage from the Carrefour at Jerez de la Frontera to Yunquera and did not finish the stage.
After he was assessed by the medical staff, the team announced Urán's misfortune.
"X-rays found a fracture in the greater trochanter of his left hip," the team posted on social media. "He does not need surgery and will return home to recover. Not the way we wanted to see Rigo finish his last dance 💔 Please join us in wishing him well."
Urán confirmed that 2024 would be his last season as a professional rider in February, saying he wanted to compete in the Olympic Games in Paris before hanging up his bike, but he was not selected by Colombia for the Games.
"I'm afraid of retirement and crashes," Urán said to Canal RCN earlier this year. "Everything in life has an end, but I am very afraid of my retirement, you have to have psychological help. High-performance athletes live in a bubble, everything is tailored to you and you get used to that life.
"I am also afraid of crashes, it is difficult to see the family suffer. The truth is that I am already too old for the sport."
Thursday's Vuelta stage might be the last the world sees of Urán in the peloton after the injury. He leaves a long list of palmares including the silver medal in the London Olympics road race, stage wins in all three Grand Tours and two podium finishes in the Giro d'Italia (2013, 2014) and one in the Tour de France (2017).
Urán left the door open to participating in other races after the Vuelta at the teams presentation, but with a fracture, his rehabilitation could well extend past the end of the season, which closes with the Tour of Guangxi on October 20.
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