At the end of December, Lennard Hofstede surprised Visma-Lease a Bike by announcing his sudden retirement from the professional peloton. The truth is that the 29-year-old cyclist already felt this decision was coming.
In a conversation with Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad, Hofstede explained the growing discontent he was feeling with the sport.
Decreased pleasure in cycling
“I’ve been predicting this for some time. I developed more and more body aches and these were the result of a decreased enjoyment of cycling,” she explains. “And that was an essential part of my life for years.”
Although he was never able to achieve victory as a professional, Hofstede was a key player in Primoz Roglic’s multiple Vuelta a España victories.
“Maybe I was too good for this sport”
“Becoming a professional was my dream and in the end I will be able to look back on a very successful career. I’m grateful for all the wonderful memories,” she states.
“Maybe I was too good for this sport. There really could have been more in terms of results, but I didn’t really have that killer mentality.”
My goal is to be a primary teacher
In terms of future goals, Hofstede intends to completely change careers. “Being a teacher in a primary school sounds interesting to me and teachers are desperately needed,” he concludes. “I want to see if this job suits me.”
