Tom Dumoulin has announced that he will retire from professional cycling at the end of this season.

The Dutchman, who has been with Jumbo Visma for the past three seasons, made the announcement via social media.

"Dear cycling fans, guys, I have decided that 2022 will be my last year as a professional cyclist," he posted on Instagram and Facebook on Friday afternoon.

Dumoulin wrote that he has felt for "some time now" that his efforts in training have not been reflected in his racing, and said that while he felt he could regain his full potential, he chose to follow a "long and patient path" with no guarantee of success.

Last season, Dumoulin took a break from cycling, staying away from racing until June after announcing in January that he was leaving the sport and considering his future.

He made a successful return last year, winning the Dutch time trial title and a silver medal in the time trial at the Tokyo Olympics, but his 2022 campaign was a tough one.

He showed signs of promise by finishing third in the time trial at the UAE Tour, but missed the Strade Bianche due to "illness" and abandoned the Volta a Catalunya due to illness.

At the Giro d'Italia last month, after a good start with a second place in the Budapest time trial, he suffered back pain and finished the race two weeks later in 31st place.

Jumbo-Visma coach Marc Rief later said that despite his troubles, it was "too early" to consider Dumoulin a future GC contender. However, his chances of being selected for the Tour de France were very slim, and apart from his participation in the Vuelta a España, the Giro appeared to be the last Grand Tour of Dumoulin's career.

"I've had the same problem during the season, and when the intensity increases, I have problems with my back," Dumoulin said the morning before leaving the Giro. I don't have problems when I'm training, but as soon as the intensity goes up, I feel it. I will evaluate it after the Giro, but right now I don't have time. There's treatment and it's going to get better.

"I've been pushing myself every morning to make the most of it, but I simply can't. So far, the body is finished," he added later.

The 31-year-old Dumoulin will bid farewell to the sport with an impressive list of accomplishments, including an overall win at the 2017 Giro d'Italia and the world time trial and BinckBank Tour titles that same season.

During his 11-year career with Sunweb and Jumbo, he recorded nine Grand Tour stage wins, including three at the Tour de France, and runner-up finishes in both the Tour and Vuelta. He won two Olympic time trial silver medals and 11 professional victories.

Dumoulin writes that he still has no concrete plans for after his career. He is currently working with Jumbo Visma to plan his final months as a professional cyclist, and the UCI World Championships time trial in Australia will likely be his farewell to the sport.

"I'm particularly looking forward to the World Championships in Australia, where I'm sure I'll have a lot of fun," he said.

Read Tom Dumoulin's full retirement statement below.

Dear Cycling Fans,

Dear Cycling Fans,

I have decided that 2022 will be my last year as a professional cyclist.

In 2020 I had a very difficult year and by the end of the year I was overtrained and burnt out; towards the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021 I was only in my face and therefore decided to step away from cycling and think about my future.

After some time I decided to continue my cycling career. On the one hand, because the Tokyo Olympics had already been on my mind for five years and I did not want to miss the opportunity. But on the other hand, it is also no doubt due to my love of bicycles and my passion for this special world of cycling. This world often surprises me, but it also makes me feel at home, and since the fall of 2020 I have been able to occasionally demonstrate my abilities on the bike. Last year's silver medal was an absolute highlight. I'm really proud of that performance.

But still, despite the occasional good result, it has been a frustrating road, many times, especially this year, where my body felt, and still feels, tired. Instead of improving, fatigue, pain, and injury plague me as the workload in training and racing increases.

Training efforts often did not translate into desired performance. For some time now, there has been an imbalance between my 100% dedication, everything I do and sacrifice for the sport, and what I get in return.

With a lot of patience and a very careful (training) approach, I am confident that I can regain my full potential on the bike. But it would be a long and patient road with no guarantee of success. I chose not to take such a path, choosing instead to quit active cycling and take a new and unknown path.

The team and I are now trying to come up with a plan to make the most of our last few months. Hopefully there will still be much joy and success in these last few months. Especially at the World Championships in Australia, where we hope to give it our last all in the time trial.

I still don't know what I will do after my career as an active cyclist, and I don't want to know at this point. But I do know that my love of cycling will always keep me connected to the cycling world in some way. I am very curious to see what the future holds for me. I feel happy and grateful, and already now I look back on my career with pride.

Last but not least, I want to thank everyone who has shared in this amazing adventure with me. Thank you to everyone who has helped me and shared special moments with me. I want to thank my teammates, my sport director, my soigneurs, my mechanics, my support staff, and my sponsors who have supported me all these years. And to all the cycling fans who have cheered me on and supported me every step of the way, thank you so much. Cycling required my blood, sweat, and tears, but mostly it was beautiful.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Tom