Pierre Latour has called it quits: the French rider from Team TotalEnergies has officially announced his farewell to cycling by posting a video on his social media with the most beautiful moments of his professional career spanning about a dozen years. Hanging up his bicycle was certainly not an impromptu decision but a reasoned choice, also dictated by misfortune and the many accidents that have conditioned the career of the class of '93. The latest mishap just a few days ago when, while training to prepare for the Chrono des Nations, he collided with a van, ending up first on the ground and then in the hospital with various bruises and a head hematoma. "I'm fine now, despite a concussion," said the winner of the stage finishing at Alto de Aitana in the 2016 Vuelta to the microphones of RMC Sport.

In the same interview, Latour explained that the many accidents he encountered during his career triggered a psychological block where he fears descents and falls: "This problem certainly didn't help my career, sometimes I knew I could achieve a good result. I was physically in shape, but on descents I would struggle, I would freeze. It's really frustrating, everything becomes heavier and the fun is gone."

Pierre, opening up, talked about trying to find a solution to the problem. "I did everything possible to get rid of it, I saw psychologists, had hypnosis sessions, rode a motorcycle on a circuit and tackled descents. At the time it seemed to work, but then it would come back. I realized it's impossible for me to completely get rid of it."

How would the transalpine's career have been without this psychological block? Obviously, answering this question is impossible, and Latour himself emphasizes this in the interview, but then adds: "In any case, I wouldn't have been a rider until forty because cycling is a tiring sport both physically and mentally. Then, all the accidents I've had leave their mark. What is certain is that I want to stay in this environment, I will soon start taking training courses to then try to become a coach. We'll see how things evolve."