Nick Nuyens is still hoping that he will be able to remain active in 2015. He is now waiting for a call from a professional continental team to decide whether he will continue his career or retire at the age of 34. The winner of the 2011 Tour of Flanders has had three season to forget.

Nick Nuyens still has an open opportunity after Garmin-Sharp decided not to retain his services. "I want to clarify the situation as soon as possible, but I can not force things. I do not want to put anyone under pressure. It would be incredibly stupid to lose a contract because I have set a deadline. But I can not keep postponing the decision. In my eyes, it's simple: they know what I want. So their answer is yes or no. They are the last team that I am still talking with. If they say no, I will retire," he tells Het Nieuwsblad.

Since he enjoyed the biggest moments of his career when he won the 2011 Tour of Flanders in the Saxo Bank jersey, Nuyens has failed to win a single race. Injuries and physical problems prevented him from competing normally. In fact, in 2012 he did just 59 days of competition, in 2013 only 52 and in 2014 even less, only 41.

Nuyens know that these numbers are not helpful. "My reputation gives me a bit of a disadvantage because many teams want to see me at my previous level. I know the last two years have not been good for me. I have the desire to return to a better level. I still think I can have a place at the highest level," he said earlier this week. And he prepares for a possible farewell. "Maybe it is time to start a new life . I've always had a plan B. I have my own grocery store and that will allow me to stay in the real world," he said.

Nuyens beat Sylvain Chavanel, Fabian Cancellara and Tom Boonen in that spring of 2011. Furhermore, he won the Dwars door Vlaanderen and he has won other classics like Paris-Brussels, GP Wallonie, Het Volk, Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and stages in the Tour of Switzerland and the Eneco Tour. The win in Flanders made him a Belgian hero. A week later, he was third in the Klasika Primavera Amorebieta. He hasn't finished on the podium since that race.

Since his win in De Ronde, he has only finished in the top 10 five times. "The last time I felt good was when I won the Tour of Flanders. It's a frustrating situation. Back then it was not so bad on the bike. I cannot find my legs. I cannot pedal with power," he said last year. The effect of a hip fracture suffered in the 2012 Paris-Nice have been tough to overcome.

Nuyens has been riding for Quick Step (2003-2006), Cofidis (2007-2008), Rabobank (2009-2010), Saxo Bank (2011-2012) and Garmin-Sharp (2013-2014).