BMC Racing's Gerrans to end cycling career

BMC Racing rider and 2014 UCI Road World Championships silver medallist Simon Gerrans has announced his retirement from professional cycling.

The 38-year-old Australian has claimed 33 individual wins, including triumphs at the Monuments Milan-San Remo and Liege-Bastogne-Liege and stage victories at the Tour de France, Vuelta a Espana and Giro d'Italia.

In a letter published on his team's website, two-time Australian national champion Gerrans said: "Although I feel that I am still performing at a good level physically, my passion for the sport is not what it used to be.

"Professional cycling is too hard unless you are able to commit wholeheartedly. I am really happy to be able to walk away on my own terms and feel that the end of this season is the right time to transition to a new phase in my life."