Former World Tour rider, the Portuguese 32 years old Amaro Antunes who raced between 2018 and 2019 in the CCC Team (2018 Pro Continental division and 2019 World Tour division) has announced his retirement in social media on a post in his personal Instagram page.
“Last spring, the untimely death of my mother and the criminal case Prova Limpa involving the W52 FC Porto team that I represented. Now, as far as I am concerned, filed, caused me to lose all motivation and the taste for training, indispensable to face another season at the fullness of my capabilities” stated the Portuguese on his personal Instagram invoking the reasons behind his retirement.
Amaro Antunes was actually one of the few who weren't accused or suspended in this doping scandal that involved the W52-FC Porto team. The veteran climber in fact already had a team for this 2023 season. It was announced his sign for ABTF Betão - Feirense another Portuguese team of the Continental Division, and it was expected that Antunes would continue his professional career there.
But the veteran rider changed his mind, and he takes to end his 12 years career, “Even if the farewell is not the way I had envisioned, I look back on my career with pride. I worked hard, with a lot of passion and pleasure, and I achieved remarkable results, both in Portugal and at the top level of the World Tour. Now it's time to enjoy other things in life and to be present for the people I love the most” he stated.
In his 12 years career Antunes managed to get 12 professional victories, with highlight on his 2021 Volta a Portugal general classification win, a race he also won in 2020 in a special edition of the race. The Tour of Malopolska in Poland, the GP Jornal de Noticias and the 5th stage of 2017 Volta ao Algarve edition (winning against names like Benoot, Kwiatkowski and Roglic) were also one of his best wins. Although, the top moment of his career was his presence in 2019 Giro d'Italia, a race where he finished 54 overall and managed to finish 3rd in the 19 stage in a breakaway that lead to Esteban Chaves win.
Amaro was always looked up on by the Portuguese fans has one of the most promising climbers. His 2017 stage win in Algarve clearly showed he got skills to be at a higher level, and he indeed got into World Tour. But things didn't go that well, making him a bit of an eternal promise who could have a better career internationally. He finishes his statement by saying “I hope and wish, given the latest events, that a new era of Cycling may emerge in Portugal”.
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- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling for
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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