00:00Right now, I'm very sad.
00:11I gave 100%, I gave everything I had, and that was the result.
00:18That's why I'm calm and happy at the end of my sporting career.
00:23They ask me what I needed, what I wished for, many wishes.
00:26And nothing is missing, I gave it my all, always 100%.
00:37I was moved at the time, and the image moved me afterward.
00:44It was a moment of joy.
00:46And well, I got emotional because all the cyclists were there with that beautiful gesture that is usually done to
01:04all cyclists.
01:05But I felt it was very special and I am very grateful to them for that gesture.
01:17Last year we already planned for the Nairofest gran fondo to take place around this time.
01:23Therefore, he would not run Lombardy.
01:31And it was the first race where I said, "It starts for the last time."
01:37And at that moment he began to do Lombardy for the last time.
01:42And then for the last time we started doing the different races.
01:46That's good, it was hard to think about, but oh well, there were races ahead.
01:52But the day you realize that it's truly your last race is when you feel a lot of nostalgia.
02:06Yes, we were already making this transition in parallel.
02:10I have a team led by my wife who carry out all these events.
02:19And that makes the transition less difficult.
02:22Because it's going to be difficult, isn't it?
02:24The difficulty of not feeling the competition.
02:27The difficult thing is not having the level you have on the bike when you love it so much.
02:33And to finish here at the Gran Fondo, also with all the friends, guests, rivals, but friends, with whom we have
02:43today.
02:43Chris Froome, Alberto Contador, Purito Rodríguez, Samuel Sánchez, Dani Moreno, my sporting director José Luis Arrieta.
02:52All these people with whom we always had and were making history.
02:58Having you with me today makes me feel very welcome.
03:01The affection that people have always shown me also makes me feel happy in such a beautiful city.
03:14It's the lack of projects, as we've been saying all these days.
03:19The lack of money, the lack of management.
03:23Previously, we were very brave and we were lucky that cycling had not yet taken that next step.
03:31And we could adapt much faster there to the European runners.
03:37Today, clearly, technology and training systems are very, very, very, very technologically advanced.
03:46And we're still empirical.
03:50Ultimately, it's not because there aren't good young people, it's not because there's a lack of human resources, but rather a lack of projects.
04:05The tour of the future, because that's when we realized we could win again.
04:14We were, we came from places where we didn't believe in ourselves.
04:19And to beat our counterparts from different parts of the world was incredible.
04:27It was one of the most beautiful experiences we can have as Colombians.
04:41No, I felt more than just the demands, the support and the hope of a country, didn't I?
04:48It was about bringing it to a close, because it was like bringing everything to a close, wasn't it?
04:54We tried again and again, two and three times, and we reached a podium finish, which is already a huge achievement.
05:03And then in the pursuit of that we were able to win the Vuelta a España and the Giro d'Italia.
05:19I gave it my all, I gave everything I had, and that was the result.
05:26That's why I'm calm and happy at the end of my sporting career.
05:31They ask me what I needed, what I wished for, many wishes.
05:35And nothing is missing, I gave it my all, always 100%.
05:46The most important thing, and what truly makes an athlete great, isn't even their victories, but what you can do.
05:56to transmit and help his people.
05:59And I think that I've done well, and the biggest prize I've ever won is...
06:05Throughout my sporting career, I have received so much love from the people.
06:16And that's what it's about, that's what life is all about.
06:18There are very good moments, there are difficult moments, but in the difficult ones we don't have to let ourselves be discouraged and we have to get back up.
06:26and go with the hope that things can change and that the sun will come out.
06:30And clearly these are seasons, and in the end, look, we end up here with the sun shining and next to the
06:39beach.
06:47Learning to win when you're young, because you don't have the experience, you don't know how to do it, few people tell you and you have
06:58than to look for it.
06:59Then the years go by and you clearly know that these are cycles of life and that at a certain moment it shines
07:13a lot, and then you stop shining.
07:17And I always kept that in mind and accepted it when I saw that much stronger men were coming.
07:25And that's why, at least today, if I were strong, I wouldn't retire, right?
07:29But it was planned and organized so that before we got to the floor-by-floor stage, well, look, we're in
07:40a good time.
07:42We were able to do a very good job within the team, we were able to win a race this year and it has been a very good year
07:51Balance, right?
07:59Thank you.
