One of the most successful Colombian cyclists of the last fifteen years, Esteban Chaves, has announced his retirement from professional cycling. Chaves does so after a successful career, during which he won the Giro di Lombardia and stood on the final podium of both the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España.
With his attacking racing style and ever-present smile, Chaves became a fan favorite, especially in his home country Colombia. His debut in the professional peloton dates back to 2011. Wearing the ProContinental Colombia es Pasión-Café de Colombia jersey, Chavito first got acquainted with the European cycling scene, and it wasn’t long before he made a name for himself.
Doubts after horror crash
The explosive climber scored his first pro victories in his second season with the queen stage of the Vuelta a Burgos and the Grand Prix de Camaiore. Chaves seemed ready to storm the top of cycling, but a heavy crash at the Trofeo Laigueglia put a stop to that. Due to a complicated arm fracture, broken ribs, collarbone, and jaw, he had to abandon the 2013 racing season.
After this horror crash, there were even doubts whether Chaves could continue his pro career at all, but Orica GreenEDGE took the gamble and signed Chaves for three years. This proved to be a bullseye, as with the Australian team the climber made the leap to the world’s elite. In the 2015 Vuelta a España, the wider cycling public really got to know Chaves, who with two stage wins, several days in red, and a fifth place in the final classification showed his true potential.
Chaves beats Steven Kruijswijk in the 2016 Giro - photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
Just shy of Giro victory, but successful in Lombardy
This marked the start of a remarkable year: in 2016, Chaves had the best season of his career. In the Giro d’Italia he won a tough mountain stage and after Steven Kruijswijk’s crash on the descent of the Colle dell'Agnello, he even had a prime opportunity to claim the overall win. However, in the decisive mountain stage to Sant’Anna di Vinadio, Chaves had to watch helplessly as Vincenzo Nibali snatched the Giro victory at the last moment.
After three weeks, Chaves still stood on the final podium of the Giro d’Italia, but as the runner-up. In the subsequent Vuelta a España, a podium initially seemed out of reach, but thanks to a strong closing week, he finished third, behind overall winner Nairo Quintana and Chris Froome. And that was not his last major achievement in 2016, as in the autumn he won a monument classic — the Giro di Lombardia — becoming the first and so far only Colombian to do so.
After an extraordinarily successful 2016, more was expected from Chaves, but he never fully met those expectations, partly due to physical setbacks. He struggled with a knee injury, broken shoulder blade, and mononucleosis. Despite all the bad luck and physical ailments, he still managed to win a Giro d’Italia stage for the second time in his career in 2018.
Gracias, Chavito 💕
From Bogotá crits to grand tour podiums 🫶 A look back at some of our favorite photos from Esteban's professional cycling career.
Esteban reflects on his career, and what's next for him in our new Explore film on YouTube. pic.twitter.com/qLHEVYVnb8
— EF Pro Cycling (@EFprocycling) November 24, 2025
In his final years with Mitchelton-Scott, Chaves still delivered some sporting highlights — including another Giro stage win in 2019 — but his prime days seemed numbered. In 2022, Chaves moved to EF Education-EasyPost, where he managed one last victory: in 2023, after a long solo breakaway, he became the Colombian road champion. In recent years, Chaves increasingly played a role on the fringes.
Jhoan Esteban Chaves Rubio| Year | Team |
|---|---|
| 2025 | |
| 2024 | |
| 2023 | |
| 2022 | |
| 2021 |
