Maciej Bodnar retires from pro cycling: "I was lucky enough to ride and help the best. Ivan Basso, Alberto Contador, Vincenzo Nibali, but most of all, Peter Sagan"

At 38 years of age Maciej Bodnar will retire from pro cycling. The Polish veteran spent his career racing in support of generational leaders and became a prominent figure in the time-trialing scene; and after 18 seasons in the peloton he will hang up his wheels as will Peter Sagan and Daniel Oss - his block.

"There is a moment in the life of every athlete, which we all try not to think about for years, and it always touches everyone, there is never a good time. There is always something to achieve, to gain, to prove," the Polish rider said in social media post. "Time to say 'ciao' after all. This current season was my last. I have been thinking about ending my career for a long time, and today, the moment has come to share it with you via media. Cycling does not require sacrifices only from the cyclist. It also requires them, and perhaps above all, from our families. So now it's time for family and loved ones."

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Hence, Bodnar ends a long and successful career with a over a decade of experience at World Tour level. He spent large years in the late Liquigas and BMC teams, BORA - hansgrohe and most recently, TotalEnergies. Many of these years he teamed up with Peter Sagan and was one of his reliable domestiques. Perhaps most memorably, the two attacked in a windy Tour de France stage back in 2016 and - together with Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas - rode to victory on what was one of the race's most dramatic stages of the decade. As Sagan hangs up the wheels in the upcoming Olympic Games and Daniel Oss does now, the Pole follows the footsteps of his teammates and ends a successful spell in the sport.

"I spent my career mainly as a 'gregario', a support rider, and I was lucky enough to ride and help the best. Ivan Basso, Alberto Contador, Vincenzo Nibali, but most of all, Peter Sagan. But not only them. The team is not only about big names, and throughout my career, I tried to help every team and every rider as if each of them were World Champions," he continues. "I'm very proud that I was part of the team when Michal Kwiatkowski became world champion in Ponferrada (in 2013, ed.) and when Rafał Majka won the bronze medal of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro (in 2016, ed.). A big thank you to my teammates, coaches, directors, managers, and the entire staff from mechanics and soigneurs to doctors and office staff... Thanks to you, everything was easier."

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Not only a domestique, but Bodnar was himself a very successful rider. An eight-time time-trial national champion, he specialized in the discipline where he'd earn almost all wins of his pro career. The last win away from the nationals was the most prominent of his career, when in the 2017 Tour de France he beat Michal Kwiatkowski and Chris Froome to win the final time-trial of the Tour de France in Marseille.

This was a career highlight, but he highlights his time and accomplished success with Peter Sagan as something noteworthy in his career - perhaps the most. "I've spent my entire professional career by the side of this great guy. It's been 14 years, with ups and downs, but in the end, we had a blast, it was an unforgettable experience! I don't regret one single moment, we really enjoyed it," he concluded. 

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