Career ends in 2024: Rigoberto Uran: A legend in Colombia - and soon a professional footballer?

Rigoberto Uran is a star. In Europe, he is hardly recognised as such. Even at the height of his career in the mid-2010s, this was not the case. But 2.6 million followers on Instagram speak their own language. No Mathieu van der Poel (1.2 million), no Wout Van Aert (1.1) and no Tadej Pogacar (2.0) come close. In short: no other professional cyclist. And no other professional cyclist can claim that his life has been filmed as a telenovela.

The 99 episodes of "Rigo" began airing last autumn and could soon even win the most important international television award, the Emmy. When the series flickered across Colombian TV sets, Uran had not even announced the end of his career. He did this year in February, after finishing fourth in his home tour, the Tour Colombia.

Father murdered, contract for his mother: Uran's tough road to professional cycling

Uran had just started his 19th season as a professional cyclist. In 2006, as an 18-year-old, he had taken the big step for South Americans across the Atlantic to Europe. The small Italian team Tenax took him on, and with Marlon Perez he had a man from his home country at his side. Uran quickly gained a foothold and moved on to Pro Team Unibet the following year, which meant that he had already reached the highest level of cycling.

There, too, it worked straight away. He won a time trial in the now defunct Euskal Bizikleta (2nd HC) through the Basque Country and two weeks later a stage of the Tour de Suisse. However, the man who made it all possible did not live to see these successes. His father had introduced Rigoberto Uran to cycling at the age of 14. Today a celebrated national sport, Fabio Parra really got the ball rolling in the 1980s with stage wins in the Tour de France and Luis Alberto Herrera with his victory in the Vuelta Espana. At the turn of the millennium, it was Santiago Botero from Medellin - born not far from Uran's home community of Urrao in the Colombian highlands - who fuelled the enthusiasm by winning the mountain jersey in the Tour or the world championship title in the time trial.

However, Uran's father was killed by a paramilitary group three months after infecting his son with the cycling virus. To support his family, Uran took over his father's job and sold lottery tickets alongside school and training. Two years later, he took his first step on the road to becoming a professional with the Colombian team. But because he was still too young at 16 to sign a contract with the Colombian Conti team Orgullo Paisa, which was founded in 1993 and still exists today, the paperwork was officially channelled through his mother.

Uranium in the circle of 101

Rigoberto Uran's rapid rise to the top in Europe made everything a little easier. But it could all have been over relatively quickly. During the 2007 Tour of Germany, he crashed heavily, landed in a stream and broke both elbows and a wrist. The season was over, as was his time at Unibet. However, he had already attracted the attention of Caisse d'Epargne - the predecessor of Movistar - and thus the largest Spanish team. He signed for 2008 and stayed for three years.

Uran was unable to claim a victory during this time. However, the Colombian was rarely granted the honour of crossing the finish line in first place anyway. During his career, he only managed this a comparatively rare 14 times for a rider of his class. Nevertheless, this includes four stage wins in Grand Tours. Two at the Giro d'Italia and one each at the Tour and the Vuelta a Espana put Uran in the circle of those who have been successful in all three major national tours. 101 riders have achieved this in the history of these three races. Apart from that, only one victory at the Grand Prix de Quebec stands out.

Much more memorable, however, are the races that Uran did not win and finished in second place. For example, the 2012 Olympic road race, where the Colombian and 38-year-old Alexandre Vinokourov broke away from the leading group seven kilometres before the finish. Both had a safe lead on the finishing straight. At the 300 metre mark, Uran played it safe again, looking over his left shoulder for the chasers. Vinokourov seized the moment and attacked on the other side. By the time the 25-year-old had realised what had happened, the gap to the Kazakh was too big.

Uran becomes a contender for victory at the Giro

After missing out on gold, he squinted longingly at his conqueror's medal on the podium. Afterwards, he was accused of having sold the victory to Vinokourov - the look over the wrong shoulder and the subsequent swerve in the wrong direction after having chosen the right side shortly beforehand seemed too amateurish. Uran sent this view into the realm of legend, with considered words and without criticising his critics. He was always a sportsman, especially in the bitterest moments of his career.

Uran switched to Team Sky in 2011. There, too, he initially needed a bit of a run-up until seventh place at the Giro d'Italia in 2012 became his first top 10 result at a Grand Tour, including winning the young rider classification. He shared the captain's role with his compatriot Sergio Henao. A year later at the same race, he took over after the actual boss Bradley Wiggins had to pull out after stage 12. By this time, he had already won his first stage, 20 seconds ahead of another Colombian, Carlos Betancur. After a very consistent performance, he finished the tour in second place behind the outstanding Vincenzo Nibali.

Uran, Quintana and the descent from the Stelvio

Uran had thus proven that he had the potential to become a great tour rider. New ambitions, new demands, new team: he signed with Omega Pharma - Quick Step for 2014. He travelled to the Giro as the undisputed captain and also as one of the favourites for overall victory, especially as Nibali was not at the start this year. And things looked good for Uran, who jumped into the pink jersey with his victory in the mountainous time trial on stage 12. It would stay that way until the queen stage on the 16th leg. The route first went over the Gavia, then the Stelvio Pass and finally up into the Martell Valley. However, adverse conditions with snowfall made the descents a particular problem. Down from the Stelvio, the organisers sent motorbikes with red flags ahead of the field. However, nobody at the organisers RCS wanted this to be understood as a neutralisation of the downhill afterwards. In contrast to the majority of the riders and teams, including Uran. There was a lack of clear communication and chaos reigned.

Another Colombian used this to his advantage. The 24-year-old Nairo Quintana had gathered a small group around him and built up a big lead on the descent, which was ultimately not neutralised. In addition to the stage win, he also took the pink jersey and turned a 2:40-minute deficit on Uran in the overall standings into a lead of 1:41 minutes - the basis for winning the Giro. While Uran's team railed endlessly, the pro himself never said a bad word. Not even until today.

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After the Giro comes the Tour, but the result remains the same

After 2015 did not go according to plan for the cyclist Uran and he was unable to deliver a top 10 result in the Grand Tours, his time with Quick-Step came to an end. Even though his new team underwent several name changes, Uran's switch to Cannondale for the 2016 season was the last of his career as a cyclist. Without shining, he finished seventh in the Giro and third in the Tour of Lombardy for the third time the following year.

The following year, after many years in the Giro, his focus shifted to the Tour de France for the first time. Cannondale provided Uran with a strong team. The Colombian made a solid start and was able to celebrate his first victory in France in the sprint of a small group on stage 9. Uran rode with a defective rear derailleur in the finale and at first it looked as if he would have to settle for second place once again after Warren Barguil threw his arms up in jubilation at the finish line. The finish photo, however, made Uran the winner.

In the overall standings, however, he had to admit defeat again after 21 stages, with Chris Froome celebrating his third victory in a row. But Uran came closer to the Briton than anyone else in his Tour victories, keeping the gap under a minute.

Uran ends career with broken pelvis

And so the South American, who had become a national hero after his first podium in France at the latest, went into the 2018 Tour of France as one of the favourites. There was no sign of his wild mane, which had earned him the nickname Mick Jagger in previous years.

But the new hairstyle didn't bring him any luck either. After a good first week, which saw him ahead of all the other GC contenders apart from the eventual winner Geraint Thomas, he crashed and had to accept major time losses and ultimately abandon. With just one day of racing after the Tour, Uran flew to the Vuelta and finished seventh. Including the 2019 Tour, which he also finished in this position, it remained his best result in the three-week races for the rest of his career. Although Uran finished in the top 10 of the Tour or Vuelta every year up to and including 2022, it wasn't enough for the very front.

For the 2023 season, Uran moved back into second place and acted as a noble helper for another South American, Richard Carapaz. The now 36-year-old, who climbed onto the podium for the last time in 2022 with a Vuelta stage win, increasingly took on the role of mentor. At the start of the current season, he announced that he would be retiring in the autumn. The Vuelta was to be his last race. And it was, only he had to finish the race in the most unfortunate circumstances imaginable. Uran crashed on stage 6, broke his pelvis and ended his career, which he began as one of the figureheads of the golden Colombian cycling generation around Quintana and Egan Bernal, in hospital.

Uran's second career: Will he now become a professional footballer?

Uran also took this in his stride. For 19 years, nothing could upset him, not even an end with horror. Especially as it was only the end of his first sporting career. Because he is aiming for a second one. Rigoberto Uran wants to become a professional footballer. "For almost 23 years, my goal was to get up, have breakfast and ride my bike. That will finally come to an end soon," he told the media in his home country in February, when he announced the end of his time in the peloton.

Now he added in a detailed interview: "It's crazy, but my goal is professional football. I have nothing to lose, I like to try things out. I'm probably on the wrong track, but it's an unfulfilled dream." Should Uran actually lace up his football boots for a professional club again - which is by no means out of the question due to his popularity in his home country, at least with a Colombian club - he would not be the first professional cyclist to switch careers. Oscar Pereiro, who was declared the surprise Tour winner in 2006 after Floyd Landis was subsequently disqualified, also signed another contract with a club in Spain's third division in 2010 at the age of 33.

Rigoberto Uran's greatest successes

• Second overall in the 2017 Tour de France, plus three more times in the top 10 (2019 to 2021)
• 2x overall runner-up at the Giro d'Italia (2013 and 2014), plus two more times in the top 7 (2012 and 2016)
• 2x top 10 in the overall standings of the Vuelta (2018 and 2022)
• Stage winner at the Tour de France 2017
• 3x stage winner at the Giro d'Italia (2013 and 2014) and the Vuelta Espana (2022)
• Olympic silver medallist in the London 2012 road race
• A total of 14 victories as a professional
• Third place in the Tour of Lombardy three times (2008, 2012 and 2016)