Euskaltel-Euskadi's Luis Ángel Maté to retire after 17 years in the bunch

Luis Ángel Maté's last season among professionals began this week at AlUla tour. The rider who connected most of his career with Euskaltel-Euskadi and Cofidis, confirmed in an interview with Marca his intention to hang up his bike at the end of this year, which will be his 17th in the bunch.

"Many years have passed and physically I'm no longer the same as before," he claims. "In the end, you see that your friends retire. This year Rojas and Luis León, last year Alejandro Valverde... And you understand that your teammates, with whom it all started, are no longer there. Everything ends, that's life. Furthermore, cycling today has changed a lot."

The Spanish rider however assured that he will stay within the cycling world even after retirement: "I can't wait to start different projects, all related to sport. I already have many ideas in mind."