Israel - Premier Tech are seeing another one of their riders retire at the end of the year, as Austrian time-trialist Mathias Brändle will have 2022 as his final year in the peloton.
"In the last few months I've noticed that I've lost more and more of my passion and fun for cycling. In addition, there was a Covid disease, which is still having an impact and affecting my performance," the Austrian said in a recent interview. "It feels right to stop now". He's posted on Instagram in the meantime a long message talking about his long career on the road.
The 32-year old took 18 wins as a pro rider which include a total of eight time-trial titles in his home country of Austria. As a purist he never got many opportunities in other terrains, but has nevertheless managed to take wins in prestigious races such as the Tour of Britain (twice), Baloise Belgium Tour (twice) and at the Tour of Oman for example. His latest win came as a national title, one of many, in 2021. This year he's mostly been racing as a domestique for the team's sprinters and classics riders, which have struggled to bring in the necessary points to keep the team afloat in the World Tour.
Brändle is undergoing studies and training in construction project management, but will remain one of Austria's most prominent ever figures in pro cycling.
