After eight years in the professional peloton, Francis de Greef has announced his retirement on Twitter. 30-year-old De Greef was not offered a contract extension from Wanty-Groupe Gobert.

In 2007 De Greef was the Belgian U23 time trial champion. In 2008 he made his debut as a professional at Silence-Lotto. Until 2013 he defended the colors of the Lotto team. In that period the climber finished in the top 20 at the Giro three times.

In 2013 he moved to Wanty-Groupe Gobert, but there was no contract extension even though he claims to have had a verbal agreement with his employer. Earlier this week Kristof Vandewalle, a contemporary of De Greef, also announced an early farewell.

"After eight years, I say goodbye to professional cycling. Despite a verbal agreement with my current team I did not get a contract renewal," he tweeted. "A reason was never given to me. I look back on a lot of great moments and wants to thank my family, friends and supporters for all the support."