Kurt-Asle Arvesen (Sky) will retire at the end of the 2011 season, bringing down the curtain on his 13-year career. The 36-year-old hopes to remain in cycling and help develop young riders in the sport.
“I hope to stay involved in cycling but I haven't got anything sorted. It won’t be as a rider though, as this will be my final season. I'm keeping all my options open," he told Cyclingnews.
Arvesen turned professional in 1998 with Risco Scotti and rode with Ivan Basso, Vladislav Bobrik and Filippo Simeoni. He then moved to Amica Chips for a season before moving to Denmark, first riding for Fakta and then starting a six-year run with CSC/Saxo Bank.
He left Bjarne Riis' team ahead of the 2010 season and moved to Team Sky on a two-year contract, where he became one of their most experienced and well-respected riders.
"I've been out there for many years now and I think it's about time I found something else to do and help out the younger guys."
Despite being more of a worker than a winner, Arvesen still racked up a number of impressive victories. Long before Thor Hushovd became a road world champion, Arvesen was already pulling on a rainbow jersey, winning the under-23 road title in San Sebastian in 1997. In 2003, he won a stage at the Giro d'Italia and a year later he claimed the overall honours in the Tour of Denmark. A Vuelta a España stage followed in 2006, with another Giro stage and Tour of Denmark title a year later.
The following season, he made completed his collection of grand tour successes, taking a memorable stage into Foix at the Tour de France. The Norwegian places that race as his proudest moment as a professional.
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"Wining with Carlos [Sastre] and then of course winning a stage myself and the team GC – being part of that group was really good. But then being part of this group with Sky has been a pleasure too."
Currently in the UK competing at the Olympic test event in London, Arvesen is part of a three-man Norwegian team. With the Olympic Games less than 12 months away the temptation to race for a further year and bow out at his 4th Games wasn't enough to keep him going.
"I've done three Olympics for my country and of course that would have been a nice way to end things in London, but there are young guys coming up and there's no guarantee of qualifying," he said.
Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
