Rigoberto Urán set to stay at EF Education-EasyPost and see out career

Rigoberto Urán is set to stay at EF Education-EasyPost after agreeing terms on a two-year contract extension.

The contract has yet to be formally announced by either the rider or the U.S.-registered squad, but VeloNews learned that negotiations came to a successful conclusion over the weekend.

The deal means Urán, 35, will see out the final two years of his career on the team he first joined in 2015.

The deal is also likely to see Urán bow out from competitive racing at the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024. The Colombian won a silver medal in the men’s road race at the London Games in 2012.

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There had been speculation that the Colombian rider was considering hanging up his wheels at the end of this season after a series of crashes and illness in the first part of the year. A dogged performance at the Vuelta a España netted Urán his maiden stage win in the event and saw him climb to ninth overall in GC.

The news of his commitment to EF Education-EasyPost comes as a major boost to the stage racing core of the team.

Team boss Jonathan Vaughters told VeloNews in July that he was keen to keep a spot open for Urán should the veteran decide to prolong his career by another year or two.

There were negotiations between the team and sprinter Mark Cavendish when it came down to the final spots on the roster, but Urán’s decision to stay, coupled with other factors, effectively ended any chance of the British rider joining the team.

Instead, EF Education-EasyPost has secured one of its most prized assets and a key veteran for the next two years.

Urán is likely to form a strong core around new signing Richard Carapaz, who is set to join from Ineos Grenadiers over the winter.