"I didn’t think I’d be doing this for so long" - Luis León Sánchez opens up ahead of 21st year in the peloton

Among the competitors in the Tour Down Under, Luis León Sánchez stands out as the oldest participant, having been in the sport for 20 seasons.

“It’s true that when I turned pro, I didn’t think I’d be doing this for so long. Now I’m 39, but I’m still motivated, still training as much as when I was young, and that’s what keeps me going in the peloton,” Sánchez told Cyclingnews.

Unlike many of his peers who have already retired, he currently has no plans to retire this year. “It’s true that the youngest generation of racers is now performing at incredible levels, they’re even winning Grand Tours from the word go. But I’m not thinking ‘ok, let’s give it another year and then stop’. That’s not in my mind,” said Sánchez.

He plans to not only assist his team but also to actively pursue stage wins to have a strong start to the season. He is also concerned about the possibility of another pandemic lockdown and wants to avoid retiring while being confined at home. “We have to grab it. Because as soon the season starts, anything can happen. There's even talk now about the ‘flu virus being on its way back. But I'd say there are so many viruses out there right now, we don’t really know how many viruses there actually are,” concluded Sánchez.