Every late autumn in biking it’s the similar – a contemporary wave {of professional} riders retire and have to seek out their approach of adjusting to their new employment standing and a post-career life. But for somebody like Rein Taaramäe, who’s leaving the WorldTour at age 37, retirement is not an possibility he is considering but.
Coming to the tip 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 highway, 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 considered one of his crimson chief’s jerseys is at present in pleasure of place in a sports activities museum in Estonia in consequence.
But Taaramë’s ‘retirement’ plan is easy: postpone it for now, and carry on racing at a a lot decrease professional stage on the opposite facet of the planet in a totally totally different racing and cultural surroundings.
As of January 1, 2025, Taaramäe – who’s about to participate in his last-ever occasion for his present staff Intermarché-Wanty on the Tour of Guangxi – might be racing for the small however long-standing Japanese Continental squad Kinan.
This shouldn’t be an impulsive transfer. Rather, the concept of racing within the Far East has been behind his thoughts for an extended whereas, Taaramëe informed 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. In 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 in every single 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 the years, I discovered that Japanese tradition is sort 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 duty which is disappearing in Europe. “Every time I am going on the metro [public transport] in Europe, it is a huge mess;” he says. “But 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 affect on him of all.
“I believe in biking groups [in Japan] it may be fairly secure, 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 should have a motorcycle or wage.
“But I needed to go to Asia to take pleasure in myself, and getting that enjoyment means it must be with a critical [trustworthy and well-organised] staff.”
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 staff members and located that they had been very glad with their employer. He was additionally pleasantly stunned to see that Kinan’s curiosity within the sport is not nearly having their title on a staff jersey. “I discovered that the sponsors additionally organise races, too. That does not occur that always.”
Kinan have an extended historical past of hiring overseas riders. Backed by the identical development firm based mostly in Wakayama on the southerly facet of Japan’s principal island, Honshu, since 2015, former racers for the staff’s dozen-strong lineup have included an ex-Slovenian National 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 Road Race Champion Ryan Cavanagh.
Taaramäe wasn’t simply inspired to signal by the staff’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 extremely sturdy impression and really it was fairly simple to resolve.”
“We had an preliminary contact in early June and I gave my ultimate settlement on the finish of July. But we already had a ultimate settlement after a few weeks and really I used to be able to signal by the tip of June.
“Then I stated OK, let me assume issues over for a month and even after that month it was nonetheless simple to resolve. I used to be nonetheless certain I needed to go there they usually additionally nonetheless needed me. So that is 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. But he nonetheless hasn’t misplaced his aggressive edge and the appreciable drop in race days numbers additionally made it a neater ‘promote’ at house, he stated.
“It was not tremendous sophisticated. My spouse all the time needed me to be at house extra, however she already knew that I used to be born to be a motorcycle rider and that I needed to proceed racing till I used to be outdated,” Taaramäe commented.
“She thought I’d proceed racing at a excessive stage. But we noticed that it was going to be getting more durable and more durable at this [WorldTour] stage. It could be higher to go someplace the place I can take pleasure in it extra, the place the extent shouldn’t be fairly so excessive and I can uncover new issues.
“She was high quality with this as a result of now I race 80-100 races a yr, however subsequent yr I’ll do 40 races, so I’ll be much more at house. She revered my selection and it was a little bit 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 may have one other profit as effectively – 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, residing down south in Wakayama might be an entire new expertise.
“For me, I’m not simply wanting ahead to the competitors there,” he explains. “I additionally simply need to keep there, experience round and see locations there and likewise expertise a little bit little bit of life off the bike.”
Whether Taaramäe and his spouse set down deeper roots of their nation of adoption stays to be seen. But each as a strategy to elongate his life as a racer whereas offering a chance to get to know a totally new tradition with out an excessive amount of strain, that seems like too good a ‘non-retirement’ alternative to overlook.