Tinkoff-Saxo’s Nicki Sørensen retires as a pro cyclist after 16 seasons. The 39-year old Dane has spent 14 seasons on Tinkoff-Saxo as a trusted teammate playing the part of super domestique while enjoying personal success as well. He rode the last kilometers of his active career in Giro di Lombardia, which he calls “a very emotional experience”.

“A new chapter in my life has started after 16 years as a professional, spending most of my waking hours training and preparing. It was very emotional and I consider myself fortunate. I get to retire from a team that I love as a happy man without any bitterness or mixed feelings about my decision. It is not everyone that gets to do that”, says Nicki Sørensen.

Despite being ill during Giro di Lombardia, Nicki enjoyed the race and the feeling of nostalgia that arose from doing everything one last time.

“It was a good way to end it all. Many of my colleagues came and greeted me, Bjarne held a speech in the bus before the race and I rode with my teammates for the last time. Unfortunately, I had food poisoning on the day of Lombardia, so I was physically drained and had to stop after 150 kilometers”, Nicki says and continues:

“But it was very sentimental. I got my last massage, my last pre-race meal, my last shower in the bus and all the things you normally don’t think of as being something special”.

Nicki Sørensen belongs to a tough breed of loyal riders offering his last reserves to help the team in the crucial parts of the race – also known as super domestiques. But Sørensen has just as well made a name for himself by winning 4 national championships, a stage in Vuelta a España and a stage in Tour de France in 2009.

“As a cyclist you’re trained to focus on the finish line. So I’m, of course, really proud of my victories, especially the one in the Tour that stands out as the pinnacle of my career. But I’m just as happy to have been a part of an amazing team for so many years. I’ve made close friends with both staff and fellow riders, not to mention Bjarne, which has taught me so much”, comments Nicki.

After having spent huge parts of every year away from home on training camps and at races, Nicki Sørensen looks forward to being with his family and he admits that he’ll definitely not try to maintain his current shape.

“If I can choose, I’ll never ride 200+ kilometers again. You never know, but I don’t think that I’ll become one of those super fit former riders. I’ve been on my limit so many times that I think I prefer to take it easy for a while”, Nicki says with a grin after having been retired for three days.

“I want to thank my wife, who’s always been right by my side, I also wish to thank Oleg for keeping me on the team so I could have a final season. And then I have to say a gigantic THANKS to Bjarne for his friendship”, concludes Nicki Sørensen.