"Today I have taken one of the most important decisions of my life...to call an end to my career as a professional cyclist".

Wanting to spend more time with his family, Olano expressed that he still feels fit to compete, physically, but mentally the sport has taxed him. "From the moment that a sportsman like myself, whose work is based on sacrifice, a capacity to suffer and to train alone, begins to lose all of that...then it's a sign that the time has come to retire," he said.

"It has been a period full of both great happiness and sadness, but I now need to start a new stage in my life. For the first time, I am looking forward to living a live without pressure and to enjoy time with my family."

Palmares

1995

World Pro Road Race

3 stages, Vuelta a España

1996

Tour of Romandy

1997

1 stage, Tour de France

GP Eddy Merckx

1998

Vuelta a Espana

1 stage, Vuelta a Espana

World Time Trial Championship

GP Eddy Merckx, with Jose Garcia Acosta

1999

1 stage, Vuelta a Espana

2000

Tirreno - Adriatico

Criterium Internationale

1 stage, Vuelta a Espana

2001 2nd Giro d'Italia