Katyousha's director sportif Jef Braeckevelt leads one of the strongest teams in the Amstel Gold Race (Image credit: Brecht Decaluwé)
Jef Braeckevelt will not be a directeur sportif at Katusha next season. The 68-year-old Belgian, who started out as a DS in 1964, has decided to put an end to his career in cycling.
Braeckevelt's contract with Katusha still ran through 2013, but the Flandrian preferred to resiliate it. "Some say that I was sacked by Katusha, but that's not true," Braeckevelt told Belgian news agency Belga. "There's a time to start and there's a time to leave. I'm 68 years old and long-distance travel doesn't appeal to me anymore. A new manager came [former Gerolsteiner manager Hans-Michael Holzcer - ed.] and there were new rules. They want to implement a new strategy at Katusha. As a directeur sporif, I was going to have to follow races in Australia, China and who knows where."
Braeckevelt started out as team director at Terrot-Leroux in 1964 and spent much of his time at Lotto (1989-1994), where current Katusha general manager Andrei Tchmil celebrated his greatest victories. "I have been a sports director for almost 50 years, and I can live with this decision," Braeckevelt continued. "We parted ways in friendship. I'm not turning my back on cycling altogether. Andrei Tchmil is still very active and I want to help him in regard to some particular projects."
