"I was perhaps too nice for this sport" - Lennard Hofstede explains sudden retirement was due to 'a decreasing pleasure in cycling'

In late December, Lennard Hofstede shocked Team Visma | Lease a Bike by announcing his sudden retirement from the professional peloton. The truth is though, the 29-year-old has felt this decision coming for a while.

Opening up in conversation with Algemeen Dagblad, Hofstede explained the growing discontent he'd been feeling with the sport recently. "I've seen it coming for a while. I developed more and more physical complaints and these were the result of a decreasing pleasure in cycling," he explains. "And that was an essential part of my life for years."

Although he never managed to claim a victory for himself, Hofstede was once a key cog in Primoz Roglic's multiple Vuelta a Espana victories. "Becoming a professional was my dream and in the end, I can look back on a very successful career. I am grateful for all the wonderful memories," he says. "I was perhaps too nice for this sport. There really could have been more in terms of results, but I didn't really have that killer mentality."

In terms of future goals, Hofstede is intending to switch careers completely. "Being a teacher at a primary school seems interesting to me and teachers are desperately needed," he concludes. "I want to see if that job suits me."