Vincent Baestaens on his decision to retire: "I have always told myself that I would stop when the level is no longer there"

Vincent Baestaens did not always follow the most obvious career path. His career was one of perseverance, but that will finally came to an end after the cross in Oostmalle at the end of February. The Belgian announced this earlier this week via Instagram, but at WielerFlits he provides some more explanation.

According to Baestaens, the explanation for his cycling pension is not far to seek. "It was already happening a bit before the season started. Then I said that we had to evaluate it afterwards to see whether it made sense to continue for another year. But the way things are going at the moment, I don't have to wait until after the Oostmalle cross to announce that I'm stopping. I have always told myself that I would stop when the level is no longer there. That is the case now."

Baestaens started his season strongly in the less occupied American crosses. But once on home soil, only the top 10 places in Kortrijk and Essen were the only highlights. "The motivation is still there, but you don't want to make all the sacrifices for those results. You feel that you can no longer keep up, and you sometimes want to give your sponsors a return for the money they invest. That's not possible at my current level."

According to Baestaens, the difference with previous years is large. "It was still doable then. I was still allowed to ride all the World Cup rounds. I was at the front of the UCI ranking. But from that point on, you feel yourself sinking more and more. That's why I think it was good. I can also make peace with it."