Thomas Dekker doesn’t think it is time to end his career. “I still want to be a bike rider,” he former winner of Tirreno-Adriatico and Tour de Romandie said yesterday in the TV programme De Wereld Draait Door.

Since the beginning of the year, the 30-year-old Dutchman has been without a team. Garmin-Sharp merged with Cannondale and decided not to renew his contract. Since then Dekker has kept himself busy by focusing on his recent Hour Record attempt.

Last week that attempt failed but it has given Dekker a lot of the confidence he had lost in recent years. “I lost a lot of self-confidence and self-belief because I have always been used to being the best. It's hard to get out of that negative spiral. I was a useful rider at Garmin, but not good enough if you ask me. At least, I now feel that I am a little bit back to my former level."

Whether the failed attempt will give Dekker the chance to sign a new contract, is still uncertain. “There are teams in the Netherlands. For example, you have Roompot. For a little while, I have been doing this of pure love. I rely on people to offer me a contract, I demand nothing. I would like to continue my career.”