Busche, 31, had a rapid rise in the sport of professional cycling after making the switch from an elite running background due to an injury. A seventh place overall in the Tour of Utah in his first professional year with Kelly Benefit Strategies caught the attention of Lance Armstrong, and he was signed to RadioShack in 2010. He spent six seasons with the team before moving to UnitedHealthcare this season.
Busche made his presence felt in the peloton in 2011 when he beat George Hincapie in the veteran's own home town to win his first US national title.
Busche told Velonews that he had intended to continue racing but struggled to find a contract for 2017 that was suitable.
"I did end up with an offer to continue, but after some true soul searching I decided that it wasn't the right opportunity and fit for my family and me," he said.
His 2015 season was bookended by serious crashes, the first of which came in Mallorca and left him with a broken wrist that kept him out of racing until May. He rebounded to win his second national title, but then suffered a high-speed crash in the Tour of Utah which hampered his performance at a critical time when his WorldTour contract was up in the air.
Busche said the injuries "took their toll on me mentally and physically, which shook my focus a little. My motivation to train and race was still high, but I was getting frustrated by trying to find the comfort and rhythm on the bike while battling injury."
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Before becoming a pro cyclist, Busche earned a degrees in management and exercise science, and hopes to build a career with those qualifications and skills.
