After his team late last night announced he would retire from pro cycling at the end of this season, Dan Martin has now issued his own account of his decision to retire and what he will do next.
He said while he could have continued racing for a few
more seasons – and his recent results certainly back that up – but has enjoyed
developing other interests away from cycling in recent years.
They include investment fund Rubix Ventures, which seeks to work with company founders to develop and invest in their businesses. Founded in 2019 and based in London, it seeks to get involved with companies that are relevant to athletes and which are in the early stages of their development.
He also said he wanted to give more time to his family
and to do things with them that weren’t possible when he was racing, though he
is hoping to go out on a high, with the Tour of Britain and Il Lombardia
remaining.
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"After 14 seasons as a professional cyclist, I have decided to call it a day. Though this huge decision has taken much thought, I feel that the time is right to move on as I want to achieve so many other things in life," Martin said in a statement issued on Saturday morning.
"In some ways, deciding to stop has been challenging
and complex; it's perhaps one of the biggest and most important decisions I
have ever made; and in other ways, it's been easy. Though I am still
competitive, I've realised that racing has lost the fun element: the whole
reason I race in the first place.
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"I still love cycling and feel privileged to have
called racing bikes, something I have relished since I was a kid, my 'job',
making a profession out of my passion. Through cycling, I have met so many
amazing people who have enriched my life and shared some incredible experiences
with them.
"Giving 100 per cent to what I do has always been
how I operate. Though I could continue racing for a few years to come, and for
many, this would seem like the obvious thing to do; I am at a point where I'm
ready to take on some exciting new challenges in life.
"I feel fortunate to be deciding when I retire. I am
genuinely grateful for the support of family, friends, fans, and so many
cycling teammates and colleagues who have supported me throughout my career. A
big thank you to my current team, Israel Start-Up Nation and all the staff and
riders for making these past two seasons one of the most enjoyable and
successful periods in my career.
"What next? I will always be a cyclist; I won't hang
up my wheels, just my race number. During the last few off-seasons and when
I've had time outside of training and racing, I have found a new sense of
purpose and fun in developing companies and working within businesses. This
interest led to Rubix Ventures, a company I co-founded with trusted contacts,
to help athletes invest in exciting growth companies.
"I'm also looking forward to being more present as a
father and husband at home and doing some simple things that are not compatible
with the requirements of a cycling career, like going for a run with my
wife."
"With the finish line in view, I've dug into
training over the last few weeks and am looking forward to having an impact in
my final few races and hopefully ending this period of my life in style.”
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