Each late autumn in biking it’s the similar – a recent wave {of professional} riders retire and have to search 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 possibility he is considering but.
Coming to the tip of 16 years at WorldTour and ProTeam degree, 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 pleased with attaining. He was the primary ever Estonian chief of the Vuelta a España and certainly one of his pink chief’s jerseys is at the moment in pleasure of place in a sports activities museum in Estonia because of this.
However Taaramë’s ‘retirement’ plan is straightforward: postpone it for now, and carry on racing at a a lot decrease professional degree on the opposite facet of the planet in a very 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 group Intermarché-Wanty on the Tour of Guangxi – can be racing for the small however long-standing Japanese Continental squad Kinan.
This isn’t an impulsive transfer. Fairly, the concept of racing within the Far East has been behind his thoughts for an extended 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] degree, as a result of I wish 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.”
The most recent race content material, interviews, options, critiques and professional shopping for guides, direct to your inbox!
To his shock, Taaramäe added, he discovered he had a following amongst Japanese followers. “I even noticed Estonian flags, and my photographs… I came upon that the followers there decide riders in every single place, they begin to observe them and ship them letters. I’ve obtained many letters through the years from Japanese followers. And I noticed that individuals actually respect cyclists, too.”
Taaramäe began digging deeper into Japanese tradition and appreciated what he discovered. “Through 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 degree of social accountability which is disappearing in Europe. “Each time I am going on the metro [public transport] in Europe, it is a large mess;” he says. “However in Japan, folks 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 in search of a squad. The extra he noticed of Japanese groups, the extra he appreciated what he discovered, however Kinan made the largest influence 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 assist you. You do not even know if you’ll have a motorcycle 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 have a look at the sponsor’s credentials, talked to riders and group members and located that they had been very glad with their employer. He was additionally pleasantly shocked to see that Kinan’s curiosity within the sport is not nearly having their identify on a group jersey. “I came upon that the sponsors additionally organise races, too. That does not occur that usually.”
Kinan have an extended historical past of hiring overseas riders. Backed by the identical development firm primarily based in Wakayama on the southerly facet of Japan’s principal 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 appreciated the folks 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 resolve.”
“We had an preliminary contact in early June and I gave my last settlement on the finish of July. However we already had a last settlement after a few weeks and truly I used to be able to signal by the tip of June.
“Then I stated OK, let me suppose issues over for a month and even after that month it was nonetheless straightforward to resolve. I used to be nonetheless positive I wished to go there they usually additionally nonetheless wished me. In order that’s the way it occurred.”
Life off the bike
The query of constant 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 house, he stated.
“It was not tremendous sophisticated. My spouse at all times wished me to be at house extra, however she already knew that I used to be born to be a motorcycle rider and that I wished to proceed racing till I used to be outdated,” Taaramäe commented.
“She thought I’d proceed racing at a excessive degree. However we noticed that it was going to be getting more durable and more durable at this [WorldTour] degree. It could be higher to go someplace the place I can get pleasure from it extra, the place the extent shouldn’t be fairly so excessive and I can uncover new issues.
“She was nice 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 house. She revered my alternative and it was a bit of bit simpler for us, too, as a result of we do not have children. So I haven’t got children to overlook me proper now.”
The drop in race days may have one other profit as properly – it will 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 per week afterwards, however for each of them, dwelling down south in Wakayama can be a complete new expertise.
“For me, I am not simply trying ahead to the competitors there,” he explains. “I additionally simply wish to keep there, experience round and see locations there and in addition expertise a bit of 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 solution to elongate his life as a racer whereas offering a possibility to get to know a very new tradition with out an excessive amount of strain, that appears like too good a ‘non-retirement’ alternative to overlook.