Rigoberto Urán had to abandon the race on Thursday during the sixth stage of the Vuelta after a serious fall. After a medical examination, it is now clear why: Uran suffered a fracture in his left hip in a fall on the descent from Puerto Martinez, in which many other riders (Marco Frigo, Pelayo Sanchez, Welay Berhe, Andreas Kron, Matthew Riccitello and Adam Yates) touched the asphalt.
After the update from his team EF Education-EasyPost, it is now clear why. “X-rays showed a fracture in his left hip. He does not need surgery and will go home to recover. We did not want to see Rigo finish his last dance like this,” says a heartbroken member of the team in which Uran has been active since 2016.
The 37-year-old Colombian – second in the 2017 Tour de France and also twice in the closest place of honour in the Giro d’Italia – announced his retirement from racing in February. “It’s something I’ve thought about long and hard. The truth is, it’s scary. Cycling has given me everything in life. For almost 23 years, I got up, had breakfast and got on my bike. I was part of a team that took me to the biggest races in the world. Now that’s coming to an end,” he said at the time.
Now it remains to be seen whether Uran can achieve his final goal of the year with Il Lombardia on October 12th and end his career in a way that befits such a champion – in the saddle.
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