Ion Izagirre extended his contract with Cofidis in October, but it is also the last time the experienced rider has signed a new deal. The now 36-year-old Basque is preparing for his final season as a professional cyclist.
He revealed this in an interview with Cycling Report. Izagirre will still be part of the peloton in 2026, but it will also be his farewell year. The Spaniard has already completed an impressive sixteen-season pro career, having made his debut in 2011 wearing the orange jersey of Euskaltel-Euskadi.
Izagirre can now look back on a highly successful career, during which he secured several notable results and victories. His perhaps greatest triumph came in 2019. That year, the proud Basque was the best in the overall classification of the Tour of the Basque Country.
However, the experienced rider won many more major races. Izagirre is part of the group of cyclists with stage wins in all three Grand Tours: he claimed two stage victories in the Tour de France, one stage in the Giro d'Italia, and also celebrated a stage win at the Vuelta a España.
Izagirre won a stage in the 2023 Tour de France – photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos[/caption]
His palmarès include overall victories in the Tour of Poland and the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, as well as stage wins in Paris-Nice and the Tour of Switzerland. He was also twice Spanish time trial champion and once national road race champion. As a professional, he has ridden for Euskaltel, Movistar, Bahrain Victorious, Astana, and—currently—Cofidis.
