Carter Jones (Team Giant-Alpecin) has chosen to leave professional cycling in order to focus on a different career path. Jones had been considering his future for some time, and some recent crashes influenced his decision to quit professional cycling sooner rather than later.
His team have said that they respect this decision and that they offer “its full support and cooperation”. Jones and the team have agreed to terminate his contract as of July.
Jones’ first season with the Giant-Alpecin team was in 2015 having won the Tour of the Gila the previous season. However, he crashed last July while training, breaking his collarbone. His last race for the team was the ZLM Toer where he didn’t start the second stage.
Jones explained: “It is a personal decision related to two accidents, one last year and one recently, and I am now ready to move on to the next step in my life. I have spent two great seasons at Team Giant-Alpecin, and they have provided me the opportunity to compete in many races at the WorldTour level.
“I have to thank my family for expecting me to complete my college education before fully pursuing a cycling career. Now I will use my degrees in integrative physiology and sociology from the University of Colorado, as well as the experience I have gained as a cyclist, to transition to a career off the bike. Through my experience as a cyclist I have developed an interest in sports marketing and event production, which I hope to pursue further.”
“Carter has been a valuable member of the team, and we respect his decision,” said coach Rudi Kemna. “Carter’s dedication and professionalism cannot be faulted, and it has been a pleasure to have worked with him. We want to thank Carter for his commitment to the team, and we wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”
Good on him…we all wish him well!