Dear Friends and Collaborators,

I wrote these lines a while back and never found the courage to send them over. But reality is I need to move on and here you have it!

I would like to start by thanking you all from the bottom of my heart for the trust and support you have been giving me these past years. Your contributions made my life so much easier and this sport so much more fun! I would not have made it to this level without any of you.

At this time, I am to announce my retirement from professional cycling and will be moving on towards other passions in my life. Cycling, as it is, gave me so much to learn on myself and discoveries from the world. Unfortunately, with the recent events regarding teams folding and change in mentality, I ended in the list of riders without contract following 2013 season. I’ve contacted every person and followed every lead I had but they all turned into dead ends. Hard to sell yourself as a team player when you evolve in the most self-focused sport and team of all.

I’m sad to leave this beautiful sport in this manner but not being able to find an new contract by the end of last year gave me the queue that it might be the time to carry on to new adventures in my life.

I do have some regrets on not achieving all my goals and desires within the sport and mainly being forced out of the sport and, certainly, not leaving on my own term is the biggest regret I’ll keep. But I’ve enjoyed the last 7 years touring world and taking part in the most prestigious and major races. Those memories will stay forever. At the moment, I’m still enjoying time on my bike and spending time catching up with other pleasures I left aside for far too long, such as skiing, cooking and endless time with friends.

For now, I do not have much information to provide you onto my near future, but some projects are taking shape such as getting back to my other main passion in life, cooking and wines. I’m looking at finishing a degree I started way back and hopefully learn from such expertise that surround me here in Spain and Europe.

I do have some cycling challenges coming as well and I shall keep you all in the loop as they start to set place. I’m not to quit this way of life so easily and I would not manage to spend the rest of my life without time on my bike. But I can surely spend the rest of my life without eating in crappy hotels, some overly cooked pasta, and burnt piece of unidentifiable white meat like I’ve been forced to eat the past 5 years in Europe. Not quite what we dreamt of professionalism would be like.

I wish you all an incredible new years and a great time in and around cycling.

Regards
Dominique Rollin

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