Luis León Sánchez an ambassador for the L'Étape Madrid by Tour de France 2023

Solobici interviewed Luis León Sánchez, one of the best riders in the history of Spanish cycling, just when he had just announced his retirement from professional peloton. The 39-year-old Spaniard is an ambassador for the L'Étape Madrid by Tour de France 2023

"As a child it was a dream to be at the start of a Tour de France. I was lucky enough to see Miguel Induráin win his Tour de France and that was decisive. In my family we didn't come from a cycling tradition but we were very united, we all sat together to watch Miguel win every summer. As a rider I have been lucky enough to win four stages and for any cyclist to win in the Tour is something huge. Being an ambassador is something beautiful and meaningful, and having the opportunity to do it this year, in my retirement, is very special."

"I will always be grateful to the team for allowing me to be part of it for a long period. It has been a practically family coexistence, I have had Vinokurov first as a rival, then as a partner and, finally, as a director. I have a great friendship with him and when I told him that I was thinking of giving up the bike because it was time, the first thing he did was offer me a place on the staff to help the team, the young people and the Kazakhs who live in Spain."

"It's time to enjoy cycling, without the obligation to go out and train every day. Without the demands of numbers and coaches. This is a sport that requires 365 days of the year and now it's time to enjoy other modalities."