Pete Kennaugh, the first Manx athlete in a century to win Olympic gold is breaking from cycling due to mental health issues.
A double British road race champion and current WorldTour rider, Pete Kennaugh has decided to step away from cycling indefinitely.
The 29-year-old, who joined Bora-hansgrohe last year after spending the first eight years of his career at Team Sky, has cited mental health issues.
He has been supported by his team which issued a statement at the same Kennaugh took to social media to announce the move.
“The time has come where it is now necessary to become one with my decision to take a break from professional cycling,” said.
“After many years of struggling, on and off the bike; I have made this decision, not only for me, but also for my family.
Advertisement
“I need to concentrate on the person that I want to be going forward and to re-discover happiness, motivation and enthusiasm in my day to day life.
“I can't thank enough, the people who have helped me through the last couple of years, especially the last couple of weeks.
“Without having to mention any names, these people will know who they are. I am very thankful for their love and support.
“I would like to thank everyone at BORA - hansgrohe for their support and understanding to allow me to recover away from the sport.”
Bora-hansgrohe said Kennaugh was “taking an indefinite break from professional cycling due to ongoing mental health issues”.
It added: “The team supports Peter in his decision and have agreed that this is the best course of action to ensure he can return to full health in the near future.”
Related News
Team manager Ralph Denk said: “We thank Peter for his contribution to the team and we wish him well in his recovery process.
“We look forward to him making a full return to professional cycling in the future.”
Pete Kennaugh career
Kennaugh won the British road race title in both 2014 and 2015. Other career highlights include overall victory at the Tour of Austria five years ago.
He also won the Cadel Evans Road Race in 2016 and took two stages at Critérium du Dauphiné.
While he struggled last year with his new team due to lack of motivation, he came back and rode well towards the second half of the year.
He won Grand Prix Cerami in Belgium in July, placed a very strong 16th at the Worlds in Innsbruck and placed 3rd in Tre Valli Varesine (1.HC).
He has raced this year a number of times; UAE Tour his event and likely to be his last for some time.
Kennaugh won gold in the team pursuit at the 2012 Olympics; the first Isle of Man athlete to won an Olympic gold in 100 years.
- We wish Pete Kennaugh well and if you are impacted by any of the issues in this piece the Samaritans in Ireland can be contacted right here.
Topics
