Dimension Data's Lars Bak ended his 18-year professional career with a seventh-place finish in Paris-Tour on Sunday.

The 39-year-old Danish rider won nine races in his professional career, but otherwise worked many hours at the front of the peloton for the team leader.

However, those victories included a solo stage win at the 2012 Giro d'Italia and a win in the 2005 French one-day race Paris-Bourges. He also won the Danish national title on the road that same year and won the national time trial championship in 2007 and 2008.

His last victory came at the 2012 Fulmi Grand Prix with a stunning solo ride, holding off a rapidly approaching peloton and beating Alexander Kristoff and Marcel Kittel by one second.

This was in his very successful first year with Lotto Belisol (now Lotto Sodal), where he spent seven seasons before moving to Dimension Data in 2019. He also ran for Factor, Banque Giroterai, CSC, and HTC.

"I announced this decision at the end of the Tour de France, so I had plenty of time to think about it, even though there was still a race to go," Bak said on the Dimension Data website prior to Sunday's Paris-Tour.

He is highly motivated to finish his career on a high note. I've spent the past week going through my memories, looking back at everything I've accomplished in my career," he said. From the start of my career to now, I've received messages from so many people.

"I've had a great 18 years, but nothing lasts forever. I know I made the right decision. I think I have done my duty. I have put all my energy and power on the road. And now I want to do my last race on Sunday. I want to have a good race. It will be a special race."

And indeed it was. Bak found himself in the thick of the action, although he was unable to pull back former Lotto Soudal teammate and winner of the day, Jere Wallaise.

"There were a couple of crashes and we got split up in the feed zone and got caught up in the first chase group.

"Then I made it to the lead group and rode through the pavé (gravel road) with Julien (Vermote). Reinhardt (Janse van Rensburg) unfortunately had a flat tire."

"I was aiming for the podium, but I hesitated in the last 5km and couldn't stay with Niki Terpstra (Total Direct Energie) and Oliver Naessen (AG2R La Mondiale).

"Anyway, it was a good way to finish the competition, to be in the top 10 in Paris-Tour. I never dreamed of this morning, so I'm really happy to stop like this."