Rigoberto Urán will stay with EF Pro Cycling for a further two years with a goal of finishing on the podium at the Vuelta a España to complete his set of Grand Tour podium finishes.
The 33-year-old announced his contract extension during a virtual event hosted by Tour Colsubsidio in Colombia. EF Pro Cycling have still to confirm Urán will stay with the team but Cyclingnews understands a deal has been done, with under-23 Colombian national champion Daniel Arroyave also joining the WorldTour team for 2021.
EF is expected to strike a sponsorship deal with the Colombian government as it looks to complete its 2021 budget, with Spanish website Zikloland claiming that Urán’s stay at the team is tied to this deal.
EF Pro Cycling have lost some key riders for 2021, with Dani Martínez departing for Ineos, Tanel Kangert moving to Mitchelton-Scott, and Sep Vanmarcke and Michael Woods signing for Israel Start-Up Nation. However team manager Jonathan Vaughters has offered new contracts to all the riders who accepted a salary sacrifice during the spring COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
US champion Alex Howes, who had only two days of racing in the second half of the season, said on Twitter he was looking forward to another year with Lachlan Morton, who renewed recently with the team.
2019 Tour of Flanders winner Alberto Bettiol has also signed a new deal, while Hugh Carthy has a contract for 2021 but is likely to secure an increased deal after finishing third at the Vuelta.
Urán finished third overall at the 2017 Tour de France and was second in the Giro d’Italia in 2013 and 2014. He finished 8th in this year’s Tour despite coming back from a serious crash at the 2019 Vuelta, where he broke his left collarbone, shoulder blade, ribs, two vertebrae and suffered lung damage.
Last week, Urán underwent surgery to remove a metal plate and screws before starting his training for 2021. He will take part in the Giro de Rigo rides on the Zwift platform on Sunday November 15 nd monday November 16, with other WorldTour riders expected to join him.
Urán's personality and results have made him hugely popular in Colombia and he has also played a mentoring role to other young Colombian at EF Pro Cycling. He helped Dani Martínez win the Critérium du Dauphiné and Sergio Higuita take the Colombia 2.1 race in February.
