Things were looking good for Martijn Maaskant when he finished fourth in his first Paris-Roubaix but since then he has been set back by physical problems. Now the Dutchman has decided to end his professional career.

Martijn Maaskant has decided to end his professional career. 31-year-old Maaskant has been suffering from physical problems in races and training since his big crash at the 2011 Paris-Nice.

"Since my crash in 2011, I have tried to reach my former level," he said. "I have done everything but needs to accept that it is no longer possible for me to come back to the level that I think I need to be at the top. Then you have to be realistic and look at what you can still give to cycling. It is a decision that I have given a lot of thought. Due to all the problems, I have not done any races since late April. That has given me lots of time to think about my future and so the end of my sporting career is less abrupt."

Maaskant famously finished fourth at the 2008 Paris-Roubaix as a neo-professional and was fourth in the Tour of Flanders one year later. Apart from a second place on a stage of the 2010 Tour de Suisse, he has failed to reach similar levels since that amazing debut in the spring classics.

Maaskant rode for UnitedHealthCare in his final season after several years at Garmin.