Pello Bilbao calls time on career before home fans at Itzulia Basque Country

Pello Bilbao has announced that he will retire from cycling at the end of this season, bringing the curtain down on a 16-year professional career that saw him win stages at the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia.

The 36-year-old made the announcement before his local fans ahead of the final stage of Itzulia Basque Country in Antzuola, a short distance from his hometown of Guernica.

“When I look back on my career, I would say that, first of all, I was really lucky to be born in the Basque Country, in a place where cycling is so special,” Bilbao said in a statement released by his Bahrain Victorious team.

“There is a deep cycling culture, with so many people involved in schools and races, all helping to create opportunities. That environment made it easier to enjoy the sport, to perform, and to show what I was capable of. In many ways, it gave me a smoother path to becoming a professional than most riders in the peloton.”

Bilbao turned professional with Basque squad Euskaltel-Euskadi in 2011 before moving to Caja Rural following its demise at the end of 2013. 

He would return to the WorldTour in 2017 when he signed for Astana, and he quickly became a mainstay at the Kazakhstani squad, placing sixth overall at the following year’s Giro d’Italia. He went on to win two stages of the Giro in 2019, including the final mountain leg over the Croce d’Aune. 

In 2020, Bilbao moved to Bahrain, and he impressed in that pandemic-delayed season, taking fifth at the Giro after riding the Tour de France immediately beforehand. He took another fifth place at the corsa rosa in 2022.

Bilbao’s biggest victory would come on the 2023 Tour, when he won stage 10 in Issoire, dedicating the moment to the memory of his teammate Gino Mäder, who died in a crash at the previous month’s Tour de Suisse. Bilbao reached Paris in sixth place overall.

He remained a consistent performer in recent seasons, twice placing on the podium of the UAE Tour. 

Bilbao also stood out as one of the few riders in the peloton to speak openly in solidarity with the people of Gaza amid Israel’s invasion. 

He accused the UCI of hypocrisy for excluding Gazprom from cycling following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine while refusing to take the same action against Israel-Premier Tech.

“I don't know what we’re waiting for to get a clear name for it. What’s happening in Gaza is genocide, and I’ve considered it that way for a long time,” Bilbao told El Periódico last September after a wave of demonstrations in solidarity with Palestine on the roads of the Vuelta a España.

“We need to make noise and thank the people who take to the streets or embark on flotillas and risk their lives to deliver food and break the blockade of Palestine. Let’s hope this opens the eyes of the general population.”

In his statement on Saturday, Bilbao identified his role in helping Damiano Caruso onto the podium of the 2021 Giro as one of the highlights of his career. The Sicilian famously reached out to thank Bilbao for his efforts before soloing to stage victory at Alpe Motta.

“Of course, results matter, especially for the team, but I will always value moments like the one I shared with Damiano Caruso at the Giro d’Italia – attacking together, fighting for victory, and in the end helping him achieve something special,” Bilbao said. “These are the moments I will never forget.”