Joe Dombrowski retires from the professional peloton

Joe Dombrowski has announced via Instagram that he will retire from cycling after not finding a professional contract for the 2024 season.

Dombrowski began his career as a highly touted climber for Team Sky, before making stops at Cannondale, UAE Team Emirates and Astana Qazaqstan over his 11 years in the professional peloton.

In total, Dombrowski competed in 14 Grand Tours and notched four professional wins, including a stage of the 2021 Giro d’Italia, a stage of the 2019 Utah and a stage and the overall victory at the 2015 Tour of Utah.

“After much thought, I would like to announce that I will be hanging up my wheels as a professional cyclist,” Dombrowski said in a long Instagram caption. “Eleven years and fourteen grand tours later, I count myself lucky to have lived this incredible journey; my dream from a young age. As a pro, your daily life is structured in training blocks, training camps, and race days. It’s really only since looking at everything retrospectively that I can find the words to contextualize.”

In the post, the American reflected on the motivation which started his dream to be a professional many years ago, the motivation that he first articulated in a high school classroom in his hometown of Marshall, Virginia.

“Back in high school, I had an English teacher who had us write letters to ourselves,” he said. “We were supposed to write about what we wanted to do, and where we wanted to be in life, in one, five and ten years. I was slightly embarrassed at the time to present my letters to the class, because my goals were, by far, the most outlandish. I wanted to be a pro cyclist, I wanted to live in Europe, and I wanted to compete in all the biggest races in the world. The letters were self-addressed and would be sent out to us at the corresponding dates.

“Over time I forgot about the letters, but I had a fun surprise when they reemerged in my parent’s mailbox. Over my career, I felt at times what seemed like the highest of highs, and the lowest of lows. Amongst the ups and downs of a long career, these letters arrived as a perfect juxtaposition against the noise. They offered a sense of confirmation, as I actually did everything I ever dreamed of doing, and even more.”

Joe Dombrowski

• Team Astana Qazaqstan Team
• Nationality United States of America
• Age 32
• UCI Wins 8
• Height 1.85m