Edvald Boasson Hagen, one of Norway’s many cycling champions over the years, announced this week that he’ll be retiring after nearly two decades at the top of his profession. The still-boyish-looking Boasson Hagen thinks it’s time, at the age of 37.
“There’s a time for everything, and after 17 years of professional cycling, I’m proud of what I’ve achieved during my career,” Boasson Hagen stated in his farewell to the sport. This will be his last season.
“It feels good, really, to have made the decision,” he told news bureau NTB. “I’ve been feeling that it’s okay to end things now, when I feel I have done a lot as a cyclist. I’m very satisfied with my career.”
He said the highlights, not surprisingly, were his victories in three stages of the Tour de France, “absolutely, and in addition I’ve had many friends and great joy from cycling in general. It’s been my life.”
He’s also won both silver and bronze in world champanionship competition, and in the Giro de’Italia, and was on the winners’ platform again as late as last year after a race in Spain. He had five spots on the platform in 2022, one of them in the Tour de France. He’s cycled a total of 258 portions of the Tour de France during the course of his career.
“I’ve been very lucky and glad that I’ve been able to do this for so long,” he told newspaper VG. He also cherishes “all the friendships and great memories I’ll always have.”
Now he also has a family and said he wants to spend more time “together with our daughter and follow her up even more closely. My wife and family have been very supportive all the way, and I’ve really been able to do what I want to. Now it will be good to be more at home.”
So this will be his last season, but he vowed to “do my best as always” in the remaining races of this season. He’s most recently been cycling for the French Decathlon AG2R team. He has earlier cycled for Team Sky of Great Britain, Total Energies and MTN-Qhubeka, later Team Dimension Data.
Now Boasson Hagen, who comes from Rudsbygd near Lillehammer, thinks it’s time “to find something else to do,” and spend more time with his family. “I’ve invested a bit in real estate and will continue with that,” he told NTB. “Otherwise I’m open to whatever comes along.”
NewsinEnglish.no/Nina Berglund
