David Veilleux retires from professional cycling
Canada’s David Veilleux announced that he will retire from professional cycling at the end of the season. His final races will be at the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec and Montréal this weekend.
The Cap-Rouge, Que., native said in an open letter that he has retired from cycling in order to focus on completing his degree in mechanical engineering at the Laval University.
Veilleux competes for the Professional Continental outfit Europcar and experienced much success during the previous two seasons. Last year, he won the Tre Valli Varesine in Italy and the Tour d’Alsace prologue. This year, he won a stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné and the overall title at the Boucle de la Mayenne, both in France. He became the first Quebec-born rider to compete at the Tour de France in July, where he was involved in key breakaways. In addition, he competed in esteemed events Milan-Sanremo, Paris-Roubaix and Tour of Flanders.
Veilleux has had a successful career that includes overall wins at the Tour de L’Abitibi, Tour of Elk Grove, Fitchburg Longjso Classic, Tour of Pennsylvania and Mi-Aout Bretonne. He also secured seven national titles during his career, won the points classification at the Tour of Utah and stood on several podiums in key international events.
He competed for teams Jittery Joe’s and Kelly Benefit Strategies before joining Europcar two years ago.
Veilleux’s full statement:
“Today, I announce that the Grand Prix races in Quebec and Montreal will be my last competitions as a professional cyclist. I decided to end my career with the goal of continuing my studies full-time and get my degree in Mechanical Engineering at Laval University, in two years.
“Over the years, I have travelled the globe to participate in cycling competitions. I’m proud of what I accomplished and well aware of the opportunities I received. I thank my Europcar team, who helped me achieve my goals over the past three years.
“I stood out with many results on the North American circuit and with a few wins in Europe, including a stage win on the prestigious Critérium du Dauphiné in France. I attended several monuments of cycling that made me dream in my youth, as Milan-Sanremo, Paris-Roubaix, the Tour of Flanders, not to mention the World Championships.
“And to top it all, I have accomplished my wildest dream to participate and complete the Tour de France.
“I reached my fitness goals and now it’s time for me to pursue my other personal goals. I am considering the beauty of the coming years, since I can spend more time with my family and possibly start a family.”
“My passion for cycling will always remain. I’ll spend a lot less time on my bike, but I want to take the time to ride with young riders in the region. I wish to engage with them to help them in their journey and tell them about my experience.
“Also, I want to remain a good example for everyone who thinks he has a dream that seems unattainable. As I often say, nothing is impossible! ”
