Fred Rodriguez announced that he will officially retire from the sport at the end of this year. The 42-yera-old rider signed his first professional contract in 1996. He signed also with Mapei-Quick Step in 1999, Domo-Farm Frites in 2001, Acqua & Sapone in 2002 and his final three seasons in Europe racing for Davitamon Lotto from 2005 and 2007. After Rodriguez came back in United States of America where he successed at top domestic races.

"I’m excited to be here. This is my last major stage race of my career," Rodriguez told during the pre-race conference at the Tour of Alberta according to Cyclingnews. "I’ve been doing it at this level since 1992. I have had a long career, I’ve enjoyed it and I am excited to be here to celebrate that. The second stage was my birthday, so there are a lot of great things here for me to celebrate."

"As we know, sometimes cycling can be very volatile, and I was on two teams that folded, so it wasn’t really retiring. This is my first official announcement that I am retiring."

During his career, he won one stage at the Giro di Italia (2004) and at the Tour de Suisse (2000). He finished also 2nd at Milano-San Remo and Gent-Wevelgem.