PROFESSIONALS | 04/16/2024 | 08:15
by tuttobiciweb
At 27 years old Ibai Azurmendi, Navarrese professor from Euskaltel-Euskadi, he is forced to interrupt his professional career due to heart problems confirmed after his retirement in O Gran Camiño last February. «I would like to announce that after carrying out some additional tests, they were found some cardiac alterations that prevent me from continuing to compete safely. Following the medical recommendations, I will conclude my sporting career” says the Navarrese cyclist in a farewell letter posted on social media.
«I’m sad, but it’s the right decision. Dfter having noticed some abnormal symptoms during O Gran Camiño, we proceeded to carry out several medical tests and that is where we found some cardiac alterations that prevent me from competing safely. They have been difficult weeks for me, both for all the tests carried out and for the increasingly clear idea of seeing my dream of continuing to be a professional cyclist fade away. Despite that, I am proud to have been able to enjoy what I liked most and I am satisfied that I have been truly privileged with the life I have been able to lead until today. I want to thank my family, my friends, my team and all the people who have always supported me. I am happy because I have always felt very loved: I am ending my career at the Foundation, where I started and this particularly excites me. I have always felt in a family environment and here I have made wonderful friends. They made me grow as a cyclist and as a person and for this I will always be grateful to the whole team. Finally, a special mention to my family for helping me become who I am today; to Mikel Landa for giving me the opportunity to make so many dreams I had come true and for always being close to me during the bad moments I experienced; to Julen Ucin (doctor) for all the medical and personal help he provided me during these difficult times; to Luis Astrain (psychologist) for helping me grow and overcome my fears and limits; and to Jorge Azanza for having trained me as a cyclist and as a person and for having been present in the good moments but above all in the bad ones, like this one, providing me with his unconditional support. I learned that satisfaction lies in the path and not so much in the goal. This is why I close this stage with happiness in my heart. I have a new stage with new challenges ahead of me, but I’m sure that we will continue to see each other on the roads.”
Azurmendi was born in Leitza, Navarra, on 11 June 1996 and joined the Euskadi Foundation in 2015: after three years among the Under 23s, he made the leap to the professionals in 2018, the first two years as a Continental and then from 2020 in the ProTeam.
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