A Jumbo-Visma rider has been forced to retire at 26 years old because of an injury sustained in a crash last season.
Dutchman Daan Olivier will immediately end his professional racing career after a training crash in May 2018.
While training in Colorado with American team-mate Sep Kuss, Olivier hit a stone on the road and came down hard, suffering fractures to his leg.
He returned to racing two months after the crash at the 2018 RideLondon-Surrey Classic in July and continued to ride through to the 2019 season.
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But Jumbo-Visma announced on Thursday (May 2) that Olivier would be forced to retire.
The rider said: “I have come to the realisation that the past couple of months I have been fighting a losing battle.
“The injury got worse and I am not feeling rewarded for all the efforts I have put in.
“It feels hard and unreal that I am forced to abandon not only the Tour of the Basque Country, but professional cycling as well.”
He added: “It feels like the dream has fallen to pieces.
“Cycling has brought me a lot. Those experiences I will never forget and I am so grateful that I have been privileged to live this life for almost 11 years.”
Olivier was able to continue racing after the crash, and opened the 2019 season at the Vuelta a Andalucia, which is where the problems began to emerge.
The climber said he was able to reach his previous power records in training, but found his knee did not respond in the same way when racing due to the intensity.
He was forced to abandon the Tour of the Basque Country last month, which prompted him to retire.
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In a statement, Jumbo-Visma said: “Dan Olivier is forced to immediately end his professional cycling career.
“The 26-year-old Dutchman has been suffering from a knee injury since a crash last year, which was exacerbated by top-level sport.
“Jumbo-Visma thank Daan for his team spirit and his cooperation and wish him the best of luck.”
Olivier was discovered through the Rabobank Continental Team, starting his WorldTour career with Giant-Shimano into 2014.
He switched to Jumbo-Visma in 2017.
Olivier’s best result are 25th place in the 2014 Flèche Wallonne and 15th overall at the Tour of California that year.
