Following news that Davide Rebellin will continue in the pro ranks through his 50th birthday, two more masters racers have also signed contracts for 2021: 44-year-old Spaniards Francisco Mancebo and Oscar Sevilla will continue racing at the Continental level.
'Paco' Mancebo, who turned professional in 1998 with Banesto and placed fourth in the 2005 Tour de France and third in the 2004 Vuelta a España is set to race a fourth year with the Japanese team Matrix Powertag, according to ciclo21.com.
It will be Mancebo's 24th professional season in a career that started just after the retirement of Miguel Indurain. A notable climber, Mancebo's Grand Tour efforts were eclipsed by the likes of Lance Armstrong, Jan Ullrich, and Roberto Heras.
Sevilla, who renewed this week with his Colombian Medellin squad, followed a similar path, also turning professional in 1998 with the Kelme team before moving to Phonak and T-Mobile.
Both riders' time in the top division came to an end when they were implicated in the Operacion Puerto doping ring and could no longer find a first division contract. They were teammates at Relax-GAM in 2007 and at Rock Racing in 2009 before Sevilla settled down in Colombia.
Sevilla and Mancebo continue to post top results: Sevilla has won stages in the Vuelta a Colombia, Clasico RCN and the overall Vuelta a Chiloé in recent years, while Mancebo won the Ronda Pilipinas in 2019.
They can take heart in the fact that Rebellin, who last week signed with the Cambodian Cycling Academy, continued to post up victories well after turning 45.
