His plan was to end his career at the upcoming Lombardia, but fate had other ideas and has most likely accelerated the decisions of Ion Izagirre.

The Cofidis rider from Spain crashed during training yesterday and suffered a fractured left wrist. A downhill curve, wet road conditions and a crash for the thirty-seven-year-old Basque rider who just weeks ago won the Memorial Pantani, securing the 20th victory of his long career.

Obviously the end of the season is now compromised, and there will be time to reflect with the team on a possible brief career extension for a proper "farewell to racing" for Ion, who turned professional with Euskaltel-Euskadi in 2011 before defending the colors of Movistar, Bahrain and Astana before joining Cofidis in 2022.