Although he was scheduled to continue at least until the end of the current season, Denis Menchov has unexpectedly announced that he is to quit the sport.
The Katusha rider, who won two Vueltas a España and one edition of the Giro d’Italia, is walking away from the sport at 35 years of age. Russian media reported that he won’t continue, with the rider himself indicating that a knee injury was the reason.
He suggested that frustration with missing a key event was a deciding factor in his decision.
“Winning the Giro was no doubt the pinnacle of my career,” he told R-Sport. “This year I couldn't take part in the Giro because of the injury. The Giro was my main goal for this season, and I understood it was time to end my sporting career.”
In addition to those three Grand Tour victories, Menchov also rode well in the Tour de France. He clocked up a stage win in 2006 and finished fifth overall, returned two years later to take third and was then elevated from third to second overall in the 2010 edition after Alberto Contador tested positive.
His form has been more modest in the period since he took seventh in the 2011 Giro and fifth in that year’s Vuelta a España. He was a disappointing 54th overall in last year’s Vuelta but salvaged his ride with a stage win on the Bola del Mundo climb.
His season started off solidly this year with fourth in the Volta ao Algarve. He was also second on a stage and fourteenth overall in Paris-Nice, but is now walking away from cycling.
Menchov’s Katusha team has not yet answered a request for comment.