Paris, Sept 4 (AFP/APP):Irish rider Dan Martin, who has won stages on all three of cycling’s Grand Tours, announced on Saturday he would retire at the end of 2021 after 14 years as a professional.
Martin was the first major signing for Israel Cycling Academy and won a stage on the Giro d’Italia in May to add to two victories on both the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana.
He also won two of cycling’s monuments — Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Il Lombardia.
Martin released a lengthy statement on Twitter explaining why he has decided to retire.
“I will always be a cyclist, I won’t hang up my bike, just my racing number,” said the father of two-year-old twins who is married to British distance runner Jess Martin.
“I’m also looking forwards to being more present as a father and doing the simple things that are incompatible with professional cycling, like going for a run with my wife.”
The 35-year-old Martin is a nephew of Irish cycling great Stephen Roche who won the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and world championships in 1987.
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