Ivan Basso has announced his retirement from cycling.
The Italian was diagnosed with testicular cancer during the Tour De France and has now received the all clear but he has decided to bring down the curtain on his career and said at the Giro D'Italia 2016 race launch: “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.
“I don’t regret putting an end to my racing career.
“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.”
Basso is expected to take up a new role with Tinkoff Saxo.
Source: DSG
