The Australian runner, former team member Bahrain Merida, had been talked about last summer by suddenly abandoning the event during the stage, without any explanation. The rumors evoked a disagreement with his team, which has proven to be correct since the two-time world time trial champion has since left the squad to join Ineos. But if these details did play into this incident, he brings here the main reason that pushed him to leave the Grande Boucle, in the Home Roads podcast : “It was due to a set of things. There were indeed details overlooked by the team and broken promises. But to be honest, it was just small things. These are reasons far removed from the race that broke the camel's back. I had a very sincere conversation with my wife just before the Tour. It was not a good conversation and it made me realize what I was becoming. During the Tour de France, I told myself that all this was not worth it and that there was more to life than cycling. I want to be happy, and to be honest, I could have ended up alone and entered the category of professional athletes who divorced less than a year after the birth of their child. That’s why I didn’t continue and stopped at the pit stop”. An explanation that comes several months after the event in question, and which allows a better understanding of the context in which the event occurred.
Dennis reveals reasons for his retirement on the Tour
