Ivan Basso announces retirement from professional cycling

Tinkoff-Saxo's Ivan Basso will hang up his wheels and retire from professional cycling at the end of the season, but will continue with the team in a management and technical capacity.

The 37-year-old Italian season came to a premature end at the Tour de France when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer; undergoing treatment in the days following the race's first rest day.

Basso, the two-time Giro d'Italia winner, received the all-clear from doctors in September and said he would decide if he would continue his riding career, but at the presentation of the 2016 Giro route he announced he would not ride on.

"Every athlete knows that his light will not shine bright throughout his career. Inevitably, at some stage it will start dimming and it's the sign of a wise athlete to know when the moment has come to turn it off," he said.

Basso's new role at Tinkoff-Saxo is yet to be finalised, but it he will be working alongside managing director, Stefano Feltrin, and head sport director, Steven de Jongh.

"I don't regret putting an end to my racing career," Basso continued. "Cycling is a passion that runs in my family and I feel extremely lucky I have a team that believes in me and gives me this opportunity to start this new endeavor without practically stopping.

"I look forward to working closely with the team management, its sport directors and all the riders. I'd like to also thank the owner of the team, Oleg Tinkov, who makes all this possible driven by his profound passion for the sport of cycling."