Peter Kennaugh to take indefinite break from professional cycling

Peter Kennaugh will take an indefinite break from professional cycling, his team have announced.

The Bora-Hansgrohe rider will step back from the sport due to ongoing mental health issues.

Kennaugh, a double British national champion, will take a break to help him recover.

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The 29-year-old said: “I would like to thank everyone at Bora-Hanshrohe for their support and understanding to allow me to recover away from the sport.

“I wish the team the best of luck for the rest of the season.”

Kennaugh joined the German team in 2018 after riding for Team Sky since 2010.

The Manxman counts two stages of the Critérium du Dauphiné and the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race amongst his achievements.

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.”

Last season Kennaugh took an absence from racing in the early season, saying he struggled "felt quite down."

He added that the lack of motivation made it difficult to train.

Speaking at the time, Kennaugh said: “It was nothing specific. I just felt quite down for a couple of weeks and really useless on the bike.

“I’d head out for an hour and then just turn around.

“It got to a point where I didn’t want to go out because I felt so rough.

“I don’t know if I overloaded everything with too much travelling and it all just caught up with me.”

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After finishing the Great Ocean Road Race, he rested from the end of January until the Tour de Romandie in April.

He returned to ride a strong final month of racing, finishing third in Tre Valli Varesine and 16th in the World Championships.