Jurgen Van den Broeck will bring the curtain down on his professional career when he lines up at Sluitingsprijs Putte-Kapellen in Belgium on Tuesday. The 34-year-old announced his intention to retire at the end of the season during Mayīs Giro dīItalia, and he has raced just three times since he reached Milan in 91st place overall. Van den Broeck signed a two-year contract with LottoNL-Jumbo ahead of the 2017 season but opted out of the second year of the deal, citing diminished motivation. `The closer the last race comes, the stranger it becomes. You start to feel, `oh, it`s over,ī` Van den Broeck told Sporza.ADVERTISEMENT `You are happy on one hand, but on the other, a part of your life is over and that part is never coming back. I`m saying goodbye in my own country on Tuesday, though, and thatīs more fun than just stopping abroad. I think sometimes that I`m sorry to stop, but I`m happy with my career.` Van den Broeck turned professional with US Postal Service in 2004 before moving to Marc Sergeantīs Lotto squad in 2007, where he enjoyed his greatest success as a rider. After signalling his potential with a seventh-place finish at the 2008 Giro dīItalia, Van den Broeck proceeded to place fifth overall at the 2010 Tour de France, a result that was eventually upgraded to third following Alberto Contadorīs positive test for clenbuterol and Denis Menchovīs biological passport violation. Van den Broeck was only upgraded to third in 2014, however, and having missed the experience of standing on the podium in Paris, he said that he did not feel as though he had placed third at the Tour. `To me, I`m still fifth,` he said.
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