José Rujano is going to come out of retirement in order to try to win a fourth Vuelta a Táchira title, the race that runs from the 10th to the 19th of January.

He has a new racing licence and will ride for the government funded Táchira state squad. However, he almost didn’t get to take part as there were rumours he had been suspended. However the head of the Venezuelan Cycling Federation, Artemio Leonett, denied these clams saying, “We did not suspend him, it was he who decided to retire and therefore we had to issue him a new license”.

He last rode at the 2013 Tour of Romandie and in March the same year he was implemented in Operación Amateur, an investigation into the trafficking of banned substances into Italy. 

However his team Vaconsoleil-DCM, despite not being charged, provisionally suspended him and he retired due to a lack of support “nationally and internationally”.

The highlight of the 31 year olds career was third place in the 2005 Giro, where he won 3 stages and the King of the Mountains Jersey. He was also Venezuelan TT champion 3 times.