"I'm going to dedicate myself to professional football" - 37-year-old Rigoberto Uran switches targets after cycling retirement

The storied career of one of Colombia's greatest cyclists comes to an end officially at the end of 2024, when Rigoberto Uran's contract at EF Education-EasyPost expires. Given he hasn't raced since crashing out of the Vuelta a Espana on stage 6 back in August however, the 37-year-old has had plenty of time to plan his next move.

Incredibly, Uran might not yet be done with professional sports despite his imminent cycling retirement. As he reveals in an in depth interview with El Colombiano, the Colombian icon has set himself the somewhat ambitious goal of switching careers to professional football.

"I'm going to dedicate myself to professional football, it's an unfulfilled dream," explains the two-time Giro d'Italia runner-up and one-time Tour de France runner-up, insisting that he's going to fully commit to completing his goal and reviving a professional career on a new platform despite his advancing years in a sporting capacity. "I'm going to try it to see what happens."

As mentioned, his professional cycling career ended somewhat badly as he crashed out of the Vuelta a Espana in the first week. "Fortunately, nothing serious happened, so to tell the truth it didn't hurt to leave like that," Uran says however, not getting too downhearted about the sad ending. "I'd been building towards retiring for many years, and I've had a lot of recognition from riders, organisers and the public. I had planned to end my career in Madrid [at the end of the Vuelta a Espana 2024] but I've had a lot of support from my family, team and friends, and I have had 20 years in the sport, in which time I could do everything. So I'm leaving it feeling at peace with myself."

A recent Telenovela based on his life has been launched to rave reviews in Colombia too, keeping his name in the limelight. "It's just crazy that Rigo' has been nominated for the Emmy Prizes, but my goal is professional football. I've got nothing to lose and you know I'm off the rails but I like trying things out," he laughed.