Simon Gerrans retires from professional cycling, saying his "passion for the sport is no longer what it used to be"

Simon Gerrans has retired from professional cycling, saying that his “passion for the sport is no longer what it used to be.”

The Australian ends a racing career that has brought him stage victories at all three Grand Tours as well as two Monuments in the shape of the 2012 Milan-San Remo and 2014 Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

The 38-year-old retires after a 15-year professional career in which he raced for AG2R, Credit Agricole, Cervelo TestTeam, Team Sky, before joining Orica-GreenEdge in 2012, where he spent seven years.

Ahead of the 2018 season, he moved to BMC Racing, and announced his decision today in an open letter published on its website, which you can read in full here.

Gerrans wrote: “Although I feel that I am still performing at a good level physically, my passion for the sport is not what it used to be.

“Professional cycling is too hard unless you are able to commit wholeheartedly. I am really happy to be able to walk away on my own terms and feel that the end of this season is the right time to transition to a new phase in my life.”

He continued: “When I look back over my racing career, my fondest memories don't come from winning Classics or Grand Tour stages, but the happiness and joy my victories created for the team and the people close to me. I also cherish the times when I was able to contribute to the personal success of my teammates.”

 He added that after spending time with his family, he hoped “to maintain an involvement with the sport in some capacity” as well as looking to develop his skills and pursue opportunities outside the sport.