Joaquim Rodriguez retires after 2016

[Libertine Seguros]

Tirreno-Adriatico to do a ceremonial Montelupone hill-climb TT and let him ride like Cipo did in the Giro prologue way back when plzkthx. Montelupone will forever be Purito's.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Sami Sanchez. I suddenly got hooked on him and Euskaltel in 2010 when, again, Valverde was banned and Caisse/Movi lacked high end talent. Antón and Sami was my way out of the misery after Don came back and funnily enough, thats when they started to fade.

Edit: I probably should have quoted your post RR. Why did you delete it? Anyways, never was a fan of Sastre since I despised Riis and that Tour 2008 he won was.... meeh. Freire? I was too young, didn't care about anything else than the good stuff in the mountains, really. So Sami was the 4th rider I was referring to. Luz Ardiden, 2011, epic.

 

[Red Rick]

Because I just misread

 

[May0maniac]

Re:

For me, it's not about the rider Purito. There are many cyclist who are way more agressive. For me, it's about the person Joaquim. One of the best guys around in the peloton: a lot of humour, refreshingly honest and just a normal guy. He's one of the most popular guys in the peloton.

And i liked his explosive attacks in the classics, GT's and stage races. He did lose a lot of big races, but always in a beautifull way. Purito resembles what sport is about: winning great, even more gracious in defeat, and always up there. He's isn't a Skybot. And he's one of the very few who is (was) good all year: fighting for the win from Oman till Lombardia. Like Valverde does for more then a decade. Only for that reason i can love him.

He fought with the tools he had: 110% dedication for his sport. His passion.

Thanks for all the great memories Purito! And it's not over yet! You still have to become Olympic Champion!

Exactly, he's one of the nicest guys in the peloton, nearly everyone seems to like him.
Purito and Sami Sanchez were my favourite Spanish riders of that generation.

 

[Arredondo]

Re: Re:

For me, it's not about the rider Purito. There are many cyclist who are way more agressive. For me, it's about the person Joaquim. One of the best guys around in the peloton: a lot of humour, refreshingly honest and just a normal guy. He's one of the most popular guys in the peloton.

And i liked his explosive attacks in the classics, GT's and stage races. He did lose a lot of big races, but always in a beautifull way. Purito resembles what sport is about: winning great, even more gracious in defeat, and always up there. He's isn't a Skybot. And he's one of the very few who is (was) good all year: fighting for the win from Oman till Lombardia. Like Valverde does for more then a decade. Only for that reason i can love him.

He fought with the tools he had: 110% dedication for his sport. His passion.

Thanks for all the great memories Purito! And it's not over yet! You still have to become Olympic Champion!

Exactly, he's one of the nicest guys in the peloton, nearly everyone seems to like him.
Purito and Sami Sanchez were my favourite Spanish riders of that generation.

Sammy was, and is, class too. They are both good friends too.

Sad to see Purito, Sammy and Alberto retiring all very soon. And also Bala isn't the youngest anymore.

But a lot of young Spanish cyclists have shown the past years they have the potential to form a new generation: Landa, Izagirre, Soler, Fernandez...

There's hope.

 

[CheckMyPecs]

My brain says Purito probably wishes he had retired at the end of 2015, but my heart says he'll be a great loss to cycling. Near-misses at the Giro and the Vuelta, but perhaps the most heartbreaking one was at the WCs, when Valverde dropped the ball.

 

[Angliru]

Re:

For me, it's not about the rider Purito. There are many cyclist who are way more agressive. For me, it's about the person Joaquim. One of the best guys around in the peloton: a lot of humour, refreshingly honest and just a normal guy. He's one of the most popular guys in the peloton.

And i liked his explosive attacks in the classics, GT's and stage races. He did lose a lot of big races, but always in a beautifull way. Purito resembles what sport is about: winning great, even more gracious in defeat, and always up there. He's isn't a Skybot. And he's one of the very few who is (was) good all year: fighting for the win from Oman till Lombardia. Like Valverde does for more then a decade. Only for that reason i can love him.

He fought with the tools he had: 110% dedication for his sport. His passion.

Thanks for all the great memories Purito! And it's not over yet! You still have to become Olympic Champion!

My sentiments exactly. Purito had a gift for bringing a smile to my face. I really enjoyed how he went from showing such great potential as Valverde's lieutenant in the Ardennes and stage races, to showing he was one of the elite in those very same races.

 

[Mr.White]

I will miss Grande Purito, and whole cycling world will!

 

[contador_attacks]

What a sad day...
I have nothing but respect for Joaquim!!! Muchas gracias por todo, Purito!!!
Florence/2013... I suffered with you...

 

[Gigs_98]

I really liked him. He wasn't the most aggressive rider and he could have won way more (what a career it would have been if he had won the worlds and the giro/vuelta double 2012) but he is extremely likable and still had an impressive career. The first of the big 3 spanish gc riders of this generation retires

 

[hfer07]

One of the most charismatic, beloved & most of all, with an insane great sense of humor that a rider can ever have. I love his twits, his personality, and of course his versatility as a cyclist. As he stated it, the timing of his retirement seems appropriated, at the Pro Tour level and being competitive enough, on his own terms.

The best wishes & luck to him & his next chapter outside the sport.

 

[jaylew]

I'll really miss Purito. Always liked him as a rider and a guy. I don't remember much about his time at ONCE, but it was fun watching him come up at Saunier Duval and at Caisse. He and Valverde were a great tandem in his middle years and his 2012 was fabulous - watching him lose the Giro at the end that year was awful. I really wish he had won a GT. That era is coming to a close. Gonna be really strange when he, Bala, AC, and Samu are all gone.

 

[Fernandez]

Yesterday, when he was asked about the cyclist who has impressed him more, he said Michele Bartoli; but he also has a mention on Valverde saying that if he had raced more intelligently he would have won the triple of he has won.

 

[RedheadDane]

Re:

When was that pic taken, the referee one? Thats epic.

The annual Katusha riders vs. staff football/soccer match. Purito was injured, so he couldn't play.

My brain says Purito probably wishes he had retired at the end of 2015, but my heart says he'll be a great loss to cycling. Near-misses at the Giro and the Vuelta, but perhaps the most heartbreaking one was at the WCs, when Valverde dropped the ball.

Can't it be both? Thinking that maybe he wishes he'd retired earlier, then still consider his retirement a loss to cycling.

 

[Arredondo]

Re:

Yesterday, when he was asked about the cyclist who has impressed him more, he said Michele Bartoli; but he also has a mention on Valverde saying that if he had raced more intelligently he would have won the triple of he has won.

He's right. Valverde is the most talented cyclist of his generation. He could have won more ofcourse. But is it that important? It's already pure class he rode to the podium of La Vuelta in 2003... and to a Giro podium in 2016. 13 years at the top level . Just great

They are good friends, despite their Firenze affair. You can feel the respect Valverde has for Purito in his tweet yesterday:

alejandro valverde ‏@alejanvalverde
Años compartiendo pelotón como rivales y compañeros. Eres uno de los grandes y lo sabes. Mucha suerte en tu futuro @PuritoRodriguez.

 

[gunara]

Ah, Purito... I hope for a beautiful life outside cycling for this nice guy. Sadly, my strongest memories about him were about defeats, the way he looked around and talked to Costa, and the hand gesture still broke my heart, and of course the Giro TT, Fuente De...., they're easier to remember than his Lombardia double or any other times. I'll try to remember happier times of him more knowing that he'll retire.

 

[Fernandez]

Re: Re:

Yesterday, when he was asked about the cyclist who has impressed him more, he said Michele Bartoli; but he also has a mention on Valverde saying that if he had raced more intelligently he would have won the triple of he has won.

He's right. Valverde is the most talented cyclist of his generation. He could have won more ofcourse. But is it that important? It's already pure class he rode to the podium of La Vuelta in 2003... and to a Giro podium in 2016. 13 years at the top level . Just great

They are good friends, despite their Firenze affair. You can feel the respect Valverde has for Purito in his tweet yesterday:

alejandro valverde ‏@alejanvalverde
Años compartiendo pelotón como rivales y compañeros. Eres uno de los grandes y lo sabes. Mucha suerte en tu futuro @PuritoRodriguez.

I wish they can work well together at Rio and any of them win it.

 

[Pantani Attacks]

It's amazing how he never won a GT. What a top cyclist though. He'll be missed.

 

[Kwibus]

Re:

For me, it's not about the rider Purito. There are many cyclist who are way more agressive. For me, it's about the person Joaquim. One of the best guys around in the peloton: a lot of humour, refreshingly honest and just a normal guy. He's one of the most popular guys in the peloton.

And i liked his explosive attacks in the classics, GT's and stage races. He did lose a lot of big races, but always in a beautifull way. Purito resembles what sport is about: winning great, even more gracious in defeat, and always up there. He's isn't a Skybot. And he's one of the very few who is (was) good all year: fighting for the win from Oman till Lombardia. Like Valverde does for more then a decade. Only for that reason i can love him.

He fought with the tools he had: 110% dedication for his sport. His passion.

Thanks for all the great memories Purito! And it's not over yet! You still have to become Olympic Champion!

My thoughts exactly. I can still remember how he responded after Fuente De. If you can do that after you just lost a GT then your a great personality.

I'm going to miss him.

 

[Arredondo]

Re: Re:

For me, it's not about the rider Purito. There are many cyclist who are way more agressive. For me, it's about the person Joaquim. One of the best guys around in the peloton: a lot of humour, refreshingly honest and just a normal guy. He's one of the most popular guys in the peloton.

And i liked his explosive attacks in the classics, GT's and stage races. He did lose a lot of big races, but always in a beautifull way. Purito resembles what sport is about: winning great, even more gracious in defeat, and always up there. He's isn't a Skybot. And he's one of the very few who is (was) good all year: fighting for the win from Oman till Lombardia. Like Valverde does for more then a decade. Only for that reason i can love him.

He fought with the tools he had: 110% dedication for his sport. His passion.

Thanks for all the great memories Purito! And it's not over yet! You still have to become Olympic Champion!

My thoughts exactly. I can still remember how he responded after Fuente De. If you can do that after you just lost a GT then your a great personality.

I'm going to miss him.

+ 100

 

[yaco]

A class rider who most would die for his palmares. Ultimately being a lightweight pure climber made it difficult for him in TT's which stoppedhim winning a GT.

 

[El Pistolero]

Re: Re:

Nah I'm actually interested in a discussion regarding his legacy, not what he's having for dinner tonight.

As a top 10 rider of the decade I think that is appropriate.

Which will I drop?

Cancellara
Contador
Valverde
Cavendish
Boonen
Froome
Nibali
Evans
Gilbert
Sagan
Petacchi

Cavendish and Petacchi. Sprinters belong to the track. Nobody wants to see the likes of Usain Bolt jogging for 5 hours to then sprint for 100 meters... Why in cycling then?

On-topic:

Won't miss him. I was glad he lost the Giro and Vuelta. But I'll end on a good note: he seemed like a nice guy off the bike.

 

[This Charming Man]

Started his career with ONCE during the Armstrong Era, Sanuier Duval, etc,. finishes strong with KATUSHA, class act, J-Rod.

 

[El Pistolero]

Started his career with ONCE during the Armstrong Era, Sanuier Duval, etc,. finishes strong with KATUSHA, class act, J-Rod.

Yeah, what a douche-bag Rodriguez is, how dare he be born in 1978, which made him part of the Armstrong era. What an awful crime, what should his punishment be?

 

[chiocciolis_calves]

Started his career with ONCE during the Armstrong Era, Sanuier Duval, etc,. finishes strong with KATUSHA, class act, J-Rod.

Why do you people follow pro cycling?