In some ways, Serge Baguet picked the perfect day to retire. Right now, he’s sharing headlines with no major events, but, on the eve of a race through his homeland, local fans and other people who care about this sort of thing (that’d be us) will be sure to notice.
But on another, more macroscopic level, Baguet appears to have chosen a terrible time to call it off. With the pro peloton almost too? eager to ride clean these days, it seems unusual for a man, even a 38-year-old man, who quit the sport for three years to suddenly re-retire. I’m hoping newfound optimism surrounding the sport won’t prove to be misplaced.
Giuseppe Guerini’s retirement is less of a head-scratcher, given that he placed highly in Grand Tours and mountain stages throughout the mid-90’s. Still, the scrappy Italian never tested positive and continued to win races despite evolving attitudes toward doping, a frequently imploding team leader, and the occasional idiot fan. With T-Mobile’s recent re-commitment to the sport, Guerini will call it a career after this year’s Vuelta, and then perhaps take up a managerial role within the squad.