Former Giro d’Italia champion Ryder Hesjedal (Trek-Segafredo) has announced he will retire from professional cycling at the end of the season.
The Canadian, 35, switched to road cycling from mountain biking and his career across both disciplines spans some 20 years.
And Hesjedal, Canada’s only Grand Tour winner to date, believes the time is right to call time on his career in the professional peloton.
“It definitely wasn’t an easy decision, but it seemed like the right time” he said. “I am ready to move on to other challenges in life.
“It’s been two decades focusing on the competition of cycling in two different disciplines, and now I want to use that experience in other ways.”
Having turned pro on the road with Discovery Channel in 2005, Hesjedal spent most of his career with the Slipstream Sports team in their various guises – joining Garmin-Chipotle in 2008 and staying with the team after its merger to Cannondale-Garmin in 2015.
Hesjedal won the pink jersey in 2012, overhauling Joaquim Rodriguez’s lead in the time trial on the final day of the race, and has announced his retirement less than a month after Purito also announced his intention to retire.
He was then fifth in the 2015 Giro d’Italia, after back-to-back second places in the mountains on the final weekend, which convinced Trek-Segafredo to offer him a year’s contract.
But, after illness cut his bid for Giro success short this time out, the Canadian will look to bow out with three races in his home country – the Tour of Alberta, GP de Quebec and GP de Montreal.
In a statement on the Trek-Segafredo team website, Hesjedal added: “I am indebted to Luca (Guercilena) and Trek-Segafredo for believing in me and giving me another stab at the Giro, but things just didn’t work out with me getting sick.
“[This year] is not finished and I am highly motivated for the final races. When I leave it will be knowing that I gave everything until my last race.
“I am really grateful for my time in the sport and for all of the support I have received over the years from my teams, family, friends and especially the fans.
“I truly love cycling and to be able to race at the level I have for so many years has been everything I dreamed it would be since I was a kid and just riding for fun. I want to get back to that and do different things on the bike and in life in general.”
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