American Joe Dombrowski announced his retirement from professional cycling on Tuesday.
"After much thought, I would like to announce that I will be hanging up my wheels as a professional cyclist. Eleven years and fourteen grand tours later, I count myself lucky to have lived this incredible journey; my dream from a young age," he wrote on Twitter.
"Thank you to everyone who has played their part in the journey. It has been a wild ride."
The 32-year-old American climber turned pro with Team Sky in 2013 after winning the Under-23 Giro d'Italia the previous year. He continued to ride for some of the top teams in the WorldTour peloton, including EF Education First, UAE Team Emirates and Astana Qazaqstan.
Dombrowski completed an impressive 14 grand tours in his 11 years at the top level. After two seasons with Astana Qazaqstan, the team chose not to renew his contract. Despite the ups and downs of life as a professional cyclist, Dombrowski looks back at his career with satisfaction.
"...I actually did everything I ever dreamed of doing, and even more. I rode in the top teams, I competed on the world's largest stage, and I had the honor to be a teammate of some of the sport's true legends," he wrote.
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"What I couldn't have imagined though, is all the intangibles which came along with that. I learned to live in a foreign country, and speak another language. I cultivated friendships with people from all over the globe. And cycling gave me insight into how the best in their field get to the top, and the work it takes to stay there. All of these things gave me a unique perspective, and I got an education that money could never buy."
In his retirement, Dombrowski says he's looking forward to 'exploring everything that interests him.'
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