Joaquim Rodríguez will not retire from professional cycling as planned and will instead continue his racing career for one more year, signing for the new Bahrain-Merida Pro Cycling team to race in 2017.
The team press release stated that Rodriguez will instead retire at the end of next season but remain with the team through 2018 and 2019, "as as an important role model within the technical staff of the team, namely having the role of mentor for the young riders as well as been a senior advisor to the technical staff."
Rodriguez announced during Tour de France that he intended to retire at the end of 2016 season.
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"My decision to leave the competition has always been firm, but Bahrain Merida proposed a very interesting project to me and assured me that I will feel so comfortable and motivated with them that I have decided to put a race number on my back for one more year," Rodriguez said in a statement.
"That's also the reason they have offered me to be part of their important team roster for 2017 and the exciting opportunity to work within the technical staff for 2018 and 2019," he said, adding that this was the deciding factor.
"This ... role is new to me, but the only thing they asked me to do is what I know best: enjoy cycling as usual and bring all my experience and knowledge learned throughout my career as a rider. I think that such possibility is a dream of any rider so the Bahrain Merida Team have offered me just what I was looking for.”
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