Bronzini to retire, join Teutenberg as directeur sportif with Trek

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Italian Giorgia Bronzini has decided to call an end to her storied 16-year-long cycling career and will take up a position as directeur sportif with the new Trek women's team in 2019. She will work side by side with former German rival Ina Teutenberg in the team.

Bronzini has amassed over 80 victories on the road and the track, including two UCI Road World Championship titles (2010 and 2011) and the Points Race World Championship in 2009. She has won stages of the Giro Rosa, Route de France, Tour of Qatar, the Amgen Women's Race and most recently the Tour of Chongming Island.

The 35-year-old had contemplated retiring after the 2016 UCI Road World Championships, but renewed with Wiggle-High5 for 2017. But Bronzini said in the Trek press release that the time was right.

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"I am retiring from the races because I feel now is the time," Bronzini said. "I really still enjoy the racing, but what I am finding heavy is all the training."

Bronzini moved from Wiggle-High5 to the Cylance team this season, but began her post-career planning earlier this year, signing up to take the UCI training to be a directeur sportif this December. In April, Bronzini told Cyclingnews she was still not fully decided on what to do after she stopped racing, saying that careers in the restaurant or hospitality industries were an option.

Although Bronzini and Teutenberg often went head-to-head in sprints, Bronzini was looking forward to working with the German at the newly formed squad.

"I'm glad to start my new experience with Trek alongside one of my idols Ina Teutenberg. I am excited to pass on all my experience to the riders and help them find a balance to enjoy racing while also being focused to archive good results," Bronzini said. "It is hard to leave the racing behind, I have many great memories, but I am happy I can continue in cycling. I have so much to give back; I want to pass this on."