"After a roller-coaster of thoughts and emotions in recent months, I have decided to retire from professional cycling. I am ready and truly excited to move on to my next goals in life outside of the sport," he writes on his website.
The 31-year old rider was part of Saxo -Tinkoff this season after the Team Spidertech folded. The Boulder resident previously rode with Liquigas and Garmin. Cannondale was interested in signing Duggan again but because of the teams negotiations with Oleg Tinkov, which ultimately failed to reach a conclusion with Tinkov opting to buy the Saxo Bank team from Bjarne Riis, Duggan's agreement took a while to materialize.
"During that period, I was able to spend more time with my wife, family, friends, and community than I have in my whole career. I really thought about and felt my life outside of cycling more than I ever have. I felt alive again. It has become clear how important some other things are to me and how much I’m missing," Duggan writes.
Duggan started as a pro in 2005 with the TIAA-CREF development team that later became Garmin. He stayed with Jonathan Vaughters until 2011 when he signed a two-year deal with Liquigas. His biggest career victory came in 2012 when he won the American road race championships beating Frank Pipp and Kiel Reijnen.
But his reign as national champion was difficult for Duggan after a crash in the third stage of the Tour Down Under resulted in a broken leg and a long recovery period, cutting his season to only 57 race days.
"The 2013 season was probably the most difficult of my career, dealing with a devastating broken leg throughout the year. In the ambulance to the hospital with my season-threatening injury, I began to question if this was worth it anymore. Despite plenty of support and being surrounded by incredible teammates and team staff at Saxo-Tinkoff, I hated nearly every day of the season, I was miserable and depressed. It is incredibly frustrating as an athlete to not be able to be at your best, and, even worse, I wasn’t sure if I really wanted it any more."
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And even though Cannondale wanted to sign the American for 2014, he decided to retire form pro cycling.
"When I was thinking about the 2014 season, I couldn’t see myself being happy enough, regardless of the situation. The other things I want to do in my life excite me far more and make me happier. So I’ve made the decision to stop working on the 2014 season and start moving towards my next phase in my life. I am extremely satisfied with everything I’ve accomplished in this sport. In a career highlighted by a national championship title, a WorldTour stage podium, and an Olympic berth, there is not much I truly need to prove to myself anymore."
Duggan wants to spend more time with friends and family and also become part of the family's real estate business in Boulder. He will start coaching young alpine ski racers, a sport he grew up with himself. Though his active pro cycling career is over he he stays on as athlete representative on the USA Cycling Board of Directors and will be coaching young riders in his native Boulder.
"Cycling gave me goals and the opportunity to accomplish them, and the journey along that whole process has shaped me, and for that I am very proud. But cycling certainly doesn’t define me, and it's not who I want to be anymore. Already I feel so incredibly alive as I move forward into my next ambitions," he concluded.
