Julien Absalon. The name of the sinewy Frenchman from the Vosges echoes like no other in the minds of cross-country fans around the world. He is the most successful cross-country racer of all time, still unrivalled - even if Nino Schurter has come ever closer to him in recent years. These two, Schurter and Absalon, have been the greatest duel that Olympic mountain biking has ever seen for what feels like an eternity.
But the last few years have been tough for the exceptional French talent. Now aged 37, he is no longer one of the newcomers on the scene, younger riders have been pushing hard from below to dethrone the great Julien Absalon, pollen allergies every spring and a few injuries have continued to slow the Frenchman down.
Julien Absalon: End of an era
Now his time has finally come. Once again his pollen allergy has him firmly in its grip - if the AFP press agency is to be believed, he has now - before the "Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Albstadt" - pulled the ripcord. "End of a chapter... I have decided to end my career in Olympic cross-country and will move on to new goals - the management of the Absolute Absalon team and my role as brand ambassador. And maybe a challenge or two in other disciplines...", he announced on Instagram.
More on Julien Absalon's retirement from professional sport soon here on bike-magazin.de.
Adrian Kaether
Editor
