Isn’t Paco still a pro? Or at least was still a pro a year or two ago.
He rides races on the Asian racing circuit. I don't think they are UCI races though.
Speaking of Mancebo, I rewatched the entire 2005 Vuelta this weekend because it is simply one of my favourite grand tours of all time. One of the things that I find extremely charming about this era of grand tour riding is riders like Mancebo. He was a great example of an imperfect hero with his diesel climbing and crooked position on the bike. Probably not very efficient in his pedalling and very far from the machine-like perfection that almost every pro today exudes.
His stage win to Arcalis stands out in particular, where he was first dropped by Heras and Menchov, then grinded his way back and did all the pacing the rest of way and somehow managed to win the sprint. The fact that he, out of everyone in a quartet, managed to win that sprint also tells a story about how GC riders / climbers of that era were really not very explosive, unlike today. In general, when watching grand tours pre-2010, and compare with todays GC riding, the riders of the old era really appears much slower in comparision. Or rather, the "old" races have much more of a fatigue build up/endurance feel.
To be honest I liked this era better than today. The characters were more colorful and the sport was less professional. Mistakes, that would be obvious today, were made back then. Cycling in the modern era is almost too perfect, like it is clinical and impersonal.
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