No contract renewal at Skil-Shimano for 30-year-old
Piet Rooijakkers decided to retire from professional cycling, according to sportdome.nl. The 30-year-old did not receive a new contract from his Skil-Shimano team. He rode with the Dutch outfit since turning professional in 2006.
Rooijakkers had certain races where he could really do well in, such as the Ster Elektrotoer. He was ninth in 2005, seventh in 2008 and fifth in 2009. He was also fifth in the 2007 Tour of Britain. In 2008, he ended the Eneco Tour of Benelux in tenth place overall.
He was mostly a team helper, his only win being a team time trial in the Brixia Tour. His 2010 season was very quiet and did not finish several races, including the Ster Elektrotoer.
He was asked on twitter what he is going to do. “Not sure yet, probably going into accounting.” Whether he meant this for real, or he gave a joke answer, one thing is clear for Rooijakkers. “Seven days no-pro and I miss pasta. So it is time for a pasta-party with Edwin Achterberg.”