Each late autumn in biking it’s the identical – a recent wave {of professional} riders retire and have to seek out their manner of adjusting to their new employment standing and a post-career life. However for somebody like Rein Taaramäe, who’s leaving the WorldTour at age 37, retirement is not an choice he is considering but.
Coming to the top of 16 years at WorldTour and ProTeam stage, Taaramäe already has victories within the hardest stage of the 2016 Giro d’Italia, two stage wins and a spell within the lead within the Vuelta a España, eight Estonian nationwide time trial championships titles and two extra from the street, plus a string of extra minor triumphs to really feel happy with reaching. He was the primary ever Estonian chief of the Vuelta a España and one among his purple chief’s jerseys is at present in satisfaction of place in a sports activities museum in Estonia in consequence.
However Taaramë’s ‘retirement’ plan is easy: postpone it for now, and carry on racing at a a lot decrease professional stage on the opposite aspect of the planet in a totally completely different racing and cultural setting.
As of January 1, 2025, Taaramäe – who’s about to participate in his last-ever occasion for his present group Intermarché-Wanty on the Tour of Guangxi – will likely be racing for the small however long-standing Japanese Continental squad Kinan.
This isn’t an impulsive transfer. Quite, the concept of racing within the Far East has been in the back of his thoughts for a protracted whereas, Taaramëe advised a small group of reporters on the Vuelta a España. In July, he managed to ink a deal that made the concept a actuality.
“For a few years, I believed I would not end at this [WT] stage, as a result of I need to expertise one thing new so Asia was one thing in my thoughts,” he stated.
“I as soon as did the [post-season] Saitama criterium and the Japan Cup and I used to be so impressed at what number of followers there have been on the roadsides. Within the Japan Cup there have been extra followers there than in Europe.”
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To his shock, Taaramäe added, he discovered he had a following amongst Japanese followers. “I even noticed Estonian flags, and my images… I discovered that the followers there choose riders all over the place, they begin to observe them and ship them letters. I’ve acquired many letters over time from Japanese followers. And I noticed that folks actually respect cyclists, too.”
Taaramäe began digging deeper into Japanese tradition and preferred what he discovered. “Over time, I discovered that Japanese tradition is kind of strict, if they are saying one thing they’re critical about it, they do not say one thing and alter their minds two days later or one thing. So I like their honesty.”
He additionally had the impression that in Japan there’s a stage of social accountability which is disappearing in Europe. “Each time I’m going on the metro [public transport] in Europe, it is a massive mess;” he says. “However in Japan, individuals wait in line and it is fairly spectacular. I like this.”
Time to maneuver on
Impressed by each the life-style and the racing scene in Japan, Taaramäe began searching for a squad. The extra he noticed of Japanese groups, the extra he preferred what he discovered, however Kinan made the most important impression on him of all.
“I feel in biking groups [in Japan] it may be fairly protected, I can belief them,” he says. “I do know that in lots of Asian groups, you signal contracts however you by no means know what’s your subsequent race is, they do not help you. You do not even know if you’ll have a motorbike or wage.
“However I wished to go to Asia to get pleasure from myself, and getting that enjoyment means it must be with a critical [trustworthy and well-organised] group.”
So he checked out Kinan’s historical past, he stated, and had a tough take a look at the sponsor’s credentials, talked to riders and group members and located that they have been very happy with their employer. He was additionally pleasantly stunned to see that Kinan’s curiosity within the sport is not nearly having their identify on a group jersey. “I discovered that the sponsors additionally organise races, too. That does not occur that usually.”
Kinan have a protracted historical past of hiring overseas riders. Backed by the identical building firm primarily based in Wakayama on the southerly aspect of Japan’s major island, Honshu, since 2015, former racers for the group’s dozen-strong lineup have included an ex-Slovenian Nationwide TT Champ, Gregor Gazvoda, and a one-time Junior World Championships silver medallist, Australian Wesley Sulzberger. This yr’s lineup included veterans Raymond Kreder (Netherlands) and Thomas Lebas (France) in addition to Australians Drew Morey and 2024 Oceania Continental Highway Race Champion Ryan Cavanagh.
Taaramäe wasn’t simply inspired to signal by the group’s previous, he additionally preferred the individuals working there within the current, and as he stated, after assembly the lead sports activities director, Tetsuya Ishida, “he made a very robust impression and truly it was fairly straightforward to determine.”
“We had an preliminary contact in early June and I gave my closing settlement on the finish of July. However we already had a closing settlement after a few weeks and truly I used to be able to signal by the top of June.
“Then I stated OK, let me assume issues over for a month and even after that month it was nonetheless straightforward to determine. I used to be nonetheless positive I wished to go there and so they additionally nonetheless wished me. In order that’s the way it occurred.”
Life off the bike
The query of continuous to race as a professional after 16 years is one which additionally has main results on household life, Taaramäe recognises. However he nonetheless hasn’t misplaced his aggressive edge and the appreciable drop in race days numbers additionally made it a neater ‘promote’ at residence, he stated.
“It was not tremendous difficult. My spouse at all times wished me to be at residence extra, however she already knew that I used to be born to be a motorbike rider and that I wished to proceed racing till I used to be previous,” Taaramäe commented.
“She thought I’d proceed racing at a excessive stage. However we noticed that it was going to be getting more durable and more durable at this [WorldTour] stage. It might be higher to go someplace the place I can get pleasure from it extra, the place the extent is just not fairly so excessive and I can uncover new issues.
“She was tremendous with this as a result of now I race 80-100 races a yr, however subsequent yr I am going to do 40 races, so I will be much more at residence. She revered my alternative and it was somewhat bit simpler for us, too, as a result of we do not have youngsters. So I haven’t got youngsters to overlook me proper now.”
The drop in race days could have one other profit as nicely – it’s going to give Taaramäe an opportunity to discover new tradition and new areas of Japan. He has visited Saitama within the end-of-season criterium and stayed there for every week afterwards, however for each of them, dwelling down south in Wakayama will likely be a complete new expertise.
“For me, I am not simply trying ahead to the competitors there,” he explains. “I additionally simply need to keep there, trip round and see locations there and likewise expertise somewhat little bit of life off the bike.”
Whether or not Taaramäe and his spouse set down deeper roots of their nation of adoption stays to be seen. However each as a option to elongate his life as a racer whereas offering a possibility to get to know a totally new tradition with out an excessive amount of strain, that appears like too good a ‘non-retirement’ alternative to overlook.
