"Not very human and very demanding" - Retiring INEOS Grenadiers rider stunned by demands of cycling in 2025

Omar Fraile puts an end to a long and solid professional career after thirteen seasons in the peloton, the last of them with INEOS Grenadiers. The Basque rider, winner of stages in the Giro and the Tour, as well as Spanish champion, leaves behind a legacy marked by his aggressiveness and also his reliable team work. But he didn't end his career the way he hoped for.

Fraile, now 35, has retired from the sport after a very successful career which includes victories at the 2018 Tour de France; 2017 Giro d'Italia; two-time KOM jersey winner at the Vuelta a España in both 2015 and 2016; a Spanish national title in 2021 and wins in other World Tour races such as the Tour de Romandie and his home race: Itzulia Basque Country.

His farewell, however, comes with a certain bitterness, especially for not being able to compete in the Vuelta a España 2025, an event he was especially looking forward to. He talked about everything in an interview with Marca."If you had told me when I started, I wouldn't have believed it, I'm very happy with what I've done. I'm very happy with what I've done - the best moment? The win at the 2018 Tour de France, it was spectacular." Fraile however wanted to have raced the 2025 La Vuelta to say his goodbyes from the sport, but did not have the opportunity.

"I have the regret of not having participated in the Vuelta a España 2025. I would have liked to be there, I was preparing for it and I felt good. But the team decided not to include me in the selection. It was their decision and I was left with that bitter feeling. But it's not worth dwelling too much on it". If Fraile did complete the race however, it would end in a park just outside Madrid, as protestors invaded the route in the final circuit.

Fraile made his pro debut in 2012, had several years in the Pro Continental scene where he gained popularity as a rider who attacked often, and after joining INEOS Grenadiers in 2022, he became a reliable domestique for many of the team's leaders. "In my career I have experienced at least three different styles of cycling".

And the current one is by far the hardest: "Today's is decidedly not very human and very demanding. And this makes it very difficult for a rider to have a sporting career of 15 seasons. The current way of cycling generates a lot of mental and physical wear and tear. You pay for all that effort later on. The teams are now companies and that means that everyone is watching the results you get: you have to arrive at every race at 100 percent".

At this point in time it had become very hard for Fraile to obtain results and his ability to be a super-domestique for the British team had also faded, and so 2025 felt like the natural year to hang up his wheels. He will now look towards other priorities in life.

"At the moment I'm just looking for peace of mind, the chance to enjoy the family and to have some free time. I think that putting pressure on myself now to decide what to do would be a mistake. After so many years doing the same thing, I need to understand where I want to go and, above all, to have time at my disposal," he concluded.