Urain contemplating retirement

Beñat Urain might be another young Basque cyclist calling it quits this winter. The 23-year-old was not kept on by Orbea at the end of the season and is having trouble finding a pro team willing to take him on. Stepping back into the amateur level is not an option he says, and he is thus pondering hanging up his bike for good.

"At Continental level there is nothing. Burgos and Orbea are the only Conti-teams in Spain and I'm not going to ride with any of them next year. It's hard, so I'm thinking about going back to school or start looking for a job outside of sports. Right now I'm working as a nursing assistant and taking chiropractic courses. But as of yet I'm not ruling out anything, except going to an amateur team. I'm not motivated for that", he told Gara.

Despite being let go by Orbea and now facing an uncertain future, Urain does not hold any grudges towards his old employer.

"Overall, these three years have been good for me. It was a good experience, I've learned a lot, and I've enjoyed getting to know my team-mates and being a part of this team. I'm grateful for the opportunity they gave me. And I'm not surprised they didn't retain me. I crashed a lot this year and as a result I haven't had a good season."

Urain has got one big chance left to impress any potential suitors: the Taiwan Cup. He'll accompany last year's winner and regular training partner Amets Txurruka on the trip to Taiwan this weekend.