José Luis Rubiera Profile

Published: November 30, 2009Posted in: Roster
José Luis Rubiera Profile
José Luis Rubiera

José Luis Rubiera

José Luis Rubiera Vigil (born January 27, 1973 in Santa Eulalia in Asturias.) is a Spanish road racing cyclist who most recently rode for the Astana Team.  He is a long time pro who is highly respected by others in the cycling profession having been elected a Rider’s Representative in 2005 to the Council of the UCI Pro Tour.

Nicknamed early on by his mother, he is now known by most everyone in the sport simply as ‘Chechu’ Rubiera.  He has been a professional cyclist for 14 years, turning pro in 1995 with the Team Artiach of Spain which evolved to Team Kelme.   An exceptional support rider, particularly in the mountains, he has completed 21 grand tours, helping Lance Armstrong to 5 of his record breaking 7 Tour de France victories. While riding as a professional he persisted with his college studies, often completing schoolwork between training sessions and races.  He eventually earned a degree in electrical engineering in 2004.

After Team Artiach, he raced for Kelme (1997-98), Kelme Costa Blanca (1999-2000), U.S. Postal Service (2001-2004), Discovery Channel (2005-2007), and, just prior to Team RadioShack he road for Astana in the 2008 and 2009 seasons.  He was reported to be considering retirement after the disbanding of Discovery following the 2007 season, but has continued to ride consistently and productively since for high-profile squads.

His major results include:  Stage 19 de Giro – 10th overall (1997), 6th overall Vuelta (1999), Stage 13 de Giro – 8th overall (2000), 2nd overall and King of the Mountains Vuelta a Burgos (2001), 7th overall Vuelta (2001), 2nd overall Vuelta a Burgos (2002), 3rd overall Volta ao Algarve and King of the Mountains in the Tour de Georgia (2005), 3rd overall Vuelta a Castilla y León and top tens at Paris-Nice and Volta ao Algarve (2006), Stage 8 Tour of Qinghai Lake (2007), Stage 2 Vuelta a Murcia (2008).

By George Hurst