At 36 years old, Rigoberto Uran can now consider himself an senior in the peloton. The Colombian turned professional in 2006 and has seen a lot change in seventeen years, but he’s not really happy with the new generation of cyclists.
“People only look at watts now and no one talks to a group mate”, says Uran. “Now everyone pushes from the first kilometer. Nobody talks, there’s a lot of stress. Everything has evolved and the average speed is getting higher and higher. You can’t stay like this for many years. There will be cases, but to pass 32 years as a professional cyclist is going to be very difficult.”
“Another aspect that has changed a lot is that before, when you were 20 years old, if you got too close to Cipollini or another star in a race, they would send you to hell. Now a 20-year-old kid goes to the Tour with the aspiration of winning it. I’ve seen a legend like Chris Froome and a young guy from a small team was going to nail him with his elbow. When I started, if you did that, you knew where you were going to end up.”
“Respect has been lost also because the leaders are also 20-year-olds and that hierarchy has already changed. There is no global leader, every two years one stands out. They are riders with big structures behind them that invest a lot of time and money to protect them,” concluded Uran.
