The astute observer of pro cycling rosters has probably noticed that Joe Dombrowski is no longer on one. The 32-year-old, one of the sport’s pure climbers and a Giro d’Italia stage winner, ended his 2023 season with a newly sprint-focused Astana and found himself teamless, floating in that limbo between the reality of his situation and his desire to keep racing. There were no suitable contracts, but he didn’t want to be done, didn’t want to drop out of WorldTour racing. Sometimes the universe makes that decision for you.

On Tuesday, Dombrowski removed himself from limbo, announcing on Instagram that he is hanging up his pro racing wheels. The ending was not what he had imagined, nor what he hoped for. But he’s proud, he says. And wouldn’t trade those years for anything.