After seventeen seasons on the highest level, Rein Taaramäe rode the last kilometers of his career in the World Tour in the Tour of Guangxi last week.
“Many years have passed since 2006, when I packed my suitcase to move to France to live and compete at the club level, without speaking a word of French or English” says the Estonian rider, who became a trainee with Team Cofidis during the summer of 2007, the start of a long career as a professional cyclist. “I have seen everything; I have participated in all the big races and won some of them. I have met champions, competed with them, and sometimes even beaten them”, he remembers.
Taaramäe amassed a rich palmares, with two stage wins in the Vuelta, one in the Giro and nineteen other UCI victories including 10 national titles. “I could not have dreamed of a better career. I am thankful for all the experiences and opportunities I have had. It was a wonderful time in my life” is his conclusion.
With Intermarché-Wanty, he reached a new milestone in the Tour of Spain 2021, by wearing the leader’s jersey in a grand tour for the first time in his career at the age of 34. He thus added his name to the Belgian team’s history books as the first rider to wear the leader’s jersey in a race of three weeks.
After four seasons with Intermarché-Wanty, at the age of 37, Taaramäe begins a new challenge in the Asia Tour, with the Japanse team Kinan. “Every top athlete knows that at one point or another, they need to step back, retire, or find another way of life. For me, stopping cycling 100% is not an option because I feel young, healthy, and have a deep love for the sport! I like to say: I was born to be a cyclist.”
By taking on this Asian challenge, he follows in the footsteps of his compatriot Jaan Kirsipuu, multiple Tour de France stage winner. “Jaan was my childhood idol before becoming my mentor. I have dreamed of concluding my career the same way Jaan did, in the Asian Tour. I want to experience some Asian races and atmosphere, and I feel that now is the right time to pursue this new experience. I am 37 years old, and I believe I can enjoy racing for a few more years in a good Asian atmosphere, discovering new systems and places. Just thinking about it already excites me” Taaramäe explained.
In his career, the Estonian champion participated in twenty grand tours and fourteen monuments. All together, he raced 1269 days, the equivalent of three and a half years. He was active in 32 different countries, on six continents and symbolically raced his last kilometers on the highest level in China, on the Asian continent where he will soon start a new chapter.
“I really enjoyed the Tour of Guangxi. The event evolved a lot since my previous participation in 2019, with attractive parcours and thousands of enthusiastic fans. With Gijs Van Hoecke we nearly took a stage win and in almost every stage we finished in the top ten. I ended my period with Intermarché-Wanty like I started, in very nice circumstances and filled with positive emotions” he summarises. “I’m looking forward to be reunited with everyone one last time on the occasion of our annual gala with our sponsors. This team brought me so much luck.”
As has been the tradition for several years now, Rein Taaramäe will be returning home with well-packed suitcases. Thanks to the generosity of his teammates and staff, he collects used clothing and equipment to distribute to the inhabitants during his altitude training camps in Rwanda. “Thanks to our donations, Rwandan children are starting to cycle, joining the local club Rafiki Bike Cycling Team, which offers them a daily activity and enables them to build a social life,” he explains his motivation to contribute to the development of cycling in Rwanda.
“And you never know how far they will get,” he continues. “One of them, Kevin Nshutiraguma, won the national time trial title on a Cube bike while wearing the Intermarché-Wanty jersey, after which he represented Rwanda at the Junior World Championships in Zurich. With the UCI World Cycling Centre, he attended the sixth stage of the Tour de France in Dijon, where he was invited to join Biniam Girmay on the podium with the green jersey. For the children in Rwanda, it’s not just material; the small contribution we make can change their lives,” he concludes.
