Cycling shock: surprise announcement from Tom Dumoulin

2017 Giro d’Italia winner Tom Dumoulin said enough: “I’m leaving now, I’m going to live.”

Tom Dumoulin has decided to abruptly end his cycling career at just 31 years old. The Dutch cyclist, winner of the 2017 Giro d’Italia, explained on social media that the Clasica of San Sebastian was his last race as a professional.

“I have decided to quit professional cycling with immediate effect. About two months ago I announced that I would retire as a professional cyclist at the end of the year. During last spring, despite my love for cycling, I noticed that things were not going the way I wanted. I felt I was ready for a new phase in my life.”

“But I still had one project on my wish list to end my career with a bang: the World Championship in Australia. I wanted to approach that road to the World Championship the same way I approached the road to Tokyo. With a sense of freedom, on my own terms, with the support of the team and with my inner motivation as my main fuel. This is what brought the joy of cycling back to me. But I notice that I can’t take it anymore.”

Dumoulin in recent years has failed to shine: “The tank is empty, the legs are heavy, and the training sessions are not going as I had hoped. Since my hard crash in training last September, something broke again. I had to stop my efforts to return to my old form once again and face another disappointment. Although the farewell did not go as I had hoped, I look back on my career with incredible pride.”