On Sunday, Thomas Löfkvist will end his professional career when he lines up at Il Lombardia. The Swede wants to bow out with a good performance in a race where he will be riding in support of Sebastien Reichenbach, Johann Tschopp and Mathias Frank.

On Sunday IAM Cycling will be competing in its second Tour of Lombardy, and is going with justifiable ambitions.  Racing between Como and Bergamo, the Swiss Pro Continental team intends to take advantage of the course’s difficulties to influence the outcome at least as much as they did last year. 

Even if on paper the event’s profile seems a little less demanding than in previous editions, the riders will remain cautious and vigilant since they always remember it is they who are writing the scripts for each race. And in any case, with riders like Matthias Brändle, Mathias Frank, Jonathan Fumeaux, Jérôme Pineau, Sébastien Reichenbach, Patrick Schelling and Johann Tschopp, they have all the talents needed to come face to face with victory. 

In addition to these riders, Thomas Löfkvist will also suit-up for the monument, and confesses frankly, “After Lombardy, I will hang up my bike, but I still wish to leave with a sense of accomplishment.”
 
In his last race, Löfkvist will be competing over the roads of a country that has given him one of his greatest satisfactions of his career when he wore the pink leader’s jersey in the 2009 Tour of Italy.  At 30 years old, the tireless worker from Sweden wants a new life with new challenges. 

“I have no regrets.  I leave with peace of mind ten years after signing my first pro contract with Française des Jeux.  It’s never easy to decide when to stop, especially considering the two wonderful years I have spent with IAM Cycling.  When Kjell Carlström, my friend and former teammate at Sky, contacted me about joining this exciting project, I found myself basically in a second family.  There is always a good spirit prevailing and everything was easier.  I had never had that experience on a team before. 

"I hope to take inspiration from this wonderful episode in my life and apply it to my next career.  I have some projects that I am quietly pursuing.  But before moving back to Sweden with my wife and two boys, I am going to take advantage of all the things in Switzerland that I could never do during my career, starting with skiing.”   
 
In thanking the people who have helped him throughout his career, Löfkvist is careful to single out his friend and coach Michael Andersson, Marc Madiot who offered him his first professional contract, as well as Michel Thétaz, Serge Beucherie and all of IAM Cycling before bowing out like the gentleman he is.  As the rider who won IAM Cycling’s very first victory at the Tour of the Mediterranean on February 10, 2013, Löfkvist is serene when discussing his decision to retire. 

“This year, I was never able to race at my level.  My body, for some reason, was tired.  I suffered a lot because it’s hard to work through a race knowing that you are not at your true level.  I did not want to take up a place in the squad just to say I was still there. 

"My body has told me to stop, but the final decision was not made on a whim.  I have been thinking a lot about it all season and my mindset has evolved throughout the year.  As I always find myself in harmony with my choices and decisions, I can hang up my wheels without bitterness or regret.  There will probably be moments more painful than others, especially during those times when I would normally start training or leaving for camp.  But I will not be alone and I will be surrounded by my family, so I believe I will be able to overcome these brief passages with equanimity.”

Riders:

Matthias Brändle (Aut), Mathias Frank (S), Jonathan Fumeaux (S), Thomas Löfkvist (Swe), Jérôme Pineau (F), Sébastien Reichenbach (S), Patrick Schelling (S), Johann Tschopp (S).