Tim Declercq questions risk-taking in the peloton - 'Mohoric brakes so late that others crash behind him'
Tim Declercq has already announced that 2025 will be his final season, but in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad the 36-year-old Belgian has now spoken openly about the reasons behind his decision. More than the contract talks, it is the growing awareness of risk in the peloton that weighs on him, and he does not shy away from pointing to examples.
The contract he hoped for never arrived, leaving Declercq to prepare for the end of a career defined by loyalty and sacrifice. The decision, he admitted, was anything but simple. “For myself it has not been an easy decision. I still get a lot of pleasure out of the bike. Yesterday I was out training with friends and I realised: this social aspect I am going to miss a lot. Or even the aspect of training itself. The feeling of getting better, building condition. With block training you are gone from life for a while, but afterwards it gives so much satisfaction. I would have liked to stay longer with the team, but unfortunately that was not possible.”
He told Het Nieuwsblad that there was a turning point with regard to his future. “Unfortunately I have to remain a bit vague, but it’s true. There was a phone call to say that I could extend, but suddenly the sponsor wanted to rejuvenate. It hit me hard, but I decided to interpret it as a signal that it was time for something else. I might have been able to find ‘something’, but for the past ten years I have ridden for top teams. They would no longer line up for me. In the best case I might have signed for one more year. Then it is better to immediately do something with my diploma, for which I have studied so long,” Declercq said.
Declercq also explained that the risks of professional cycling weigh more heavily on him now than they did before. “Yes, I no longer dare to take the risks I used to take. The danger weighs on me quite a lot and with fear you cannot race. I do not want to make it too big, but as an experienced rider I am simply very aware of how dangerous it all is. As a parent of two children you also look at it differently.
While with many riders I see the opposite. They ride around with the idea: ‘I do not care if I crash.’ At this moment I can permit myself to mention a name. Matej Mohorič is a rider who, like everyone, tries to race as economically as possible. All respect for that. But he does it by braking as late as possible in the corners, which causes others to be cut off. That leads to crashes. Not from himself, but from the riders behind him.”
He added an example from this summer. “After the last stage of the Tour this year he literally said: ‘I gave everything in the descent of Montmartre, it did not matter to me whether I was at the dinner table in the evening or lying in hospital.’ Everyone thinks those are great quotes, but what if in his crash he takes ten other riders with him? That I do have a problem with.
Declercq also pointed to the way family life and modern cycling are increasingly difficult to combine. “Cycling today is so difficult to combine with family life. I love my children dearly, but as a father you actually have a competitive disadvantage compared to young riders who have no responsibilities. They move to Andorra and spend all their time at altitude. Why wouldn’t they? The result is that those guys reach an unseen level. I still hit the values from my best years, but if the average level keeps rising, you inevitably fall behind.”
Despite the disappointment of not being offered a new contract, he insists he leaves without bitterness. “I absolutely do not stop with a bitter feeling. I keep so many friendships from cycling. The sport is full of good guys." That he had counted on a new contract only underlines the weight of his decision, but Declercq prefers to frame his farewell as a new beginning.
Looking ahead, Declercq points to his degree in physical education and his Trainer A certification as a solid foundation for the future. “That at least gives me some security. There are certainly things I can do with that diploma,” he said. “It is already on my mind, but I will only truly start to orient myself once this season is over. What is clear, however, is that I will not keep riding just to pick up some prize money here and there.”
As he closes this chapter of his own career, he also thought about whether the name Declercq might return to the peloton one day. “I asked myself: may my children race bikes later? I will discourage them. A pity, because cycling is at the same time a wonderful sport that teaches you so many valuable things as a person.”
