AG2R La Mondiale's Samuel Dumoulin, with 31 victories, including stage wins at the Tour de France, the Volta a Catalunya and Criterium du Dauphiné, and overall wins at the Paris-Collèze and Etoile des Besseges, will He officially bids farewell to an 18-year professional career.

As reported by L'Equipe, Dumoulin was congratulated Saturday evening at a gala track meeting at the French National Stadium in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, next year with the Pro Continental team B&B Hotels-Vital Concept, He will be the director sportif of his friend and fellow Frenchman Jérôme Pinault and prepare for his new life behind the wheel of a team car.

"Jérôme and I have run together throughout our careers," Dumoulin told ledauphine.com (opens in new tab) last week.

"They were interested in what I have, the desire to win, and they wanted me to join the team. The riders on the team wanted me to join.

"I first contacted Samuel in the summer, and then he contacted me at his own suggestion after the end of the season," explained team manager Pineau.

"I think he will fit in really well, both in terms of team philosophy and team atmosphere," he said.

The 39-year-old Dumoulin's results may have suffered in later years, but he has always been regarded as an honest teammate in the three French teams he has been a part of throughout his career.

After stadium experience with La Française des Jeux in 2001, he turned pro with the Jean Delatour team in 2002 before moving to AG2R in 2004.

In the 2008 Tour de France, he was part of a four-man breakaway group that led the 208 km stage from Saint Malo to Nantes, winning ahead of Garmin's Will Frischkorn and Romain Feillu (Agritubel).17]

On that day, Feillu also yellow jersey, making it a rare double win for his home country, but Dumoulin's stage win was also well known by five-time Tour winner Bernard Hinault, who was once a podium presenter and pushed a protester off the stage in an attempt to steal Dumoulin's limelight...

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He then rejoined AG2R in 2013 and finished his career by running his last professional race at the French National Championships this past June.