“It’s been great, but it is somebody else’s turn now.”
He’s been an important factor in British Cycling’s success in recent years, but the federation will have to look for a replacement for Chris Boardman after this year’s Olympic Games.
The former top pro has indicated that the time input is too intensive and that he wants to pass the role on to someone else in four month’s time.
“This job has been great but it demands your entire life to do it properly,” the 43-year-old wrote in a BBC blog.
He’s been working as the director of research and development and has helped bring through technical innovations which have helped Britain to many successes, including its 14 medals in Beijing 2008.
“I have spent the last nine years working within the coaching, management and technical aspects of the British cycling team,” Boardman said.
“Our biggest achievement for Beijing was improving awareness of how important aerodynamics is.”
The UCI has introduced regulations to ensure that no country gets an unfair advantage over others through its technology. Boardman states that there is a degree of pushing the limits tolerated, and that when Britain comes up with changes, one of his key roles has been to meet with the UCI’s technical coordinator Julien Carron and to make sure there are no problems.
“My job has been to ensure there is a zero per cent chance of our equipment being withdrawn. I want to go into the BBC commentary box, watch the racing, and have no worries at all,” he said.
However doing the role properly has put large demands on his time and, at 43 years of age, he’s decided it’s time to stop.
“This line of work has not stopped for me, from meetings straight off the plane to Skype conferences with people back home crammed into all hours of the day. That’s what it takes, but after London 2012 they deserve somebody who will give it their heart and soul because I don’t feel I will be able to do it justice.
“It’s time to step away. That decision is tinged with sadness because it’s a big chunk of my life, but I’m convinced this is the right time. It’s been great, but it is somebody else’s turn now.”
One of the things that Boardman will focus on is his bike company.
He is one of Britain’s top pros, having clocked up many victories during an eight year career. These include three prologue wins in the Tour de France, Olympic and world championship pursuit titles, Criterium International and the world hour record.