Italian rider Adriano Malori used the first rest day of the Tour de France to announce his retirement from professional cycling. Nearly two years after crashing out of the Tour de San Luis back in 2016 the Italian has confirmed he will be stepping off the bike for good.
The Movistar rider was place into an induced coma after suffering a broken collarbone thanks to a high speed crash on stage five of the Argentinian race.
“We all knew what happened in Argentina. I’ve spent two years battling against that dreadful day, and I won, even though it wasn’t a complete victory” he said in a statement.
Malori was soon beset with more bad luck as he suffered another injury, breaking his collarbone again at Milano-Torino last year.
Even though Malori will be getting off the saddle he won’t be stepping away from cycling with aims of transitioning into the management side of things.
“Today marks the start of ‘Adriano Malori 2.0’. I’ve already spent one month learning some cycling science, trying to work my way in the future as one who can help on that. I’m getting lots of support from the Italian Federation,” he explained.
Despite an incredible recovery the 29-year-old rider only managed to record one finish since his crash with a 118th finish on stage one of the Giro della Toscana late last year.
“I’ve given everything to try and become a professional cyclist again, but this year’s results have been quite evident. At the Volta ao Alentejo, I only rode 80km.
“In the Vuelta a Castilla y León, I barely managed to ride 30km. Giving it a try was the only way to know if I was ready or not. I can still ride a bike leisurely, but the racing is not something I can cope with. Still, my recovery has been impressive” he said.
The former Italian TT champ’s announcement comes at a time when Movistar are still just coming to terms with another horror crash that saw Alejandro Valverde leave the Tour de France with a broken knee cap.
