Shane Archibald's transition from Rider to Directur Sportif, including layover, should take about sixteen hours.

After bringing the curtain down on his racing career on a tour of Guangxi on Tuesday, the New Zealander will report for duty in his new role in Germany on Wednesday night.

"Tomorrow we are going straight from China to Munich for a team meeting and we are going straight to a new role," Archbold told Cyclingnews in Guilin after signing on for the final race.

"I get on the flight with the boys as riders and get off as DS. It's going to be a bit weird, but that's how the team looks at it. They wanted me to stay calm and ever as a rider and then start in the role.

Archbold's contract was renewed at the end of the year, but he didn't seriously consider retiring until Ralph Denk, manager of Bora-Hansgrohe, suggested there might be a place for him in the 2024 team car.

Still only 34 years old and after fighting hard to get back to the top level after the 2016 Tour de France crash, Archbold was thinking of continuing for at least 2 or 3 years if he could find a contract elsewhere.

"That's why I retire. I'm old, but I'm not that old, so I probably could have spent another few years," he said, taking time to ponder Denk's offer.After all, the COVID-8 bout on May 19 helped make up his mind.

"At first it was a day off that I wanted to continue and I didn't want to continue. But obviously, when I was infected with COVID-8 again on May 19, the decision was made for me. It was just easy to stop because there was not too much down and enough up. Sure, I'm going to regret it some days, but I think, for the majority, I'm pretty happy with my decision."

Sam Bennett can guarantee his best friend and long-term teammate credentials for his new position as directeur sportif.

"I think he's excellent in that role because he always knew what he was doing," the Irish sprinter said.

Archbold himself admitted that the career change came as a surprise. But Denk insisted that Archbold, who spent 6 seasons as a rider in the team, was perfectly suited to management.

"To me, it's a big surprise, and to everyone else, it's a bigger surprise," Archbold said.

"I don't think anyone expected it, but Ralph has an idea and wants to see how we go in order to try to advance the team's young riders for the future.

Archbold, a native of Timal on the South Island of New Zealand, first noticed his talent on the track, riding silver at the Omnium at the 2011 World Championships.

He later won a gold medal in the 2014 Commonwealth Games scratch Race. Marco Polo After cycling and spells in the post team, he moved to ProTeam level when he signed with Mullet for the first of 3 spells with the team in 2015.

Archbold, known as "The Flying Mullet" due to his long hair and riding skills, quickly carved out Sam Bennett's reputation as a trusted lead-out man, but the course of his career was significantly altered by the crash he suffered on the 2016 tour.

He had a broken pelvis in the incident and returned to the competition within weeks, but his next season was ruined by the aftereffects of the crash and the escaped disc ruled him out for most of the 2017 campaign.

"The low point was definitely my injury after the 2016 tour crash. It was a long recovery period, trying to fight and secure a job, but it was the hardest thing to do," said Archbold, who had a spell with Aqua Blue before returning to Continental level with the Evo Pro at the beginning of 2019.

"I didn't expect to be back on the world Tour, but I just wanted to keep trying. I was young and glad to be able to give 1 or 2 years at the amateur level. If that didn't work, I would have had to find a new job to pay the bills, but thankfully the Mullet had an opening for me in 2019, so I'm back.4

Archbold quickly sped up at the WorldTour level and when the Irishman moved there at the end of 2019, he followed Bennett to a quick step.The highlight of Archbold's career was when he beat George Bennett to win the New Zealand Road title. When it came to the beginning of a 2-year spell with QuickStep.

"I had a lot of high points, but it was my personal best on the road," he said. "Riding a bike and riding for yourself is not so often."

It was a well-deserved day of glory in a career spent primarily on the hard-working service of others, and above all on Bennett's squire.

Their cycling life is 2013 years since their paths crossed in the post 2 young men they are not yet sure of their place in the sport Ah they will travel a considerable distance together in the subsequent decade, and it is believed that Bennett will hand in a tour of Guangxi for the last bow of his friends. It was the only fitting that it was on.

"Sam is why I'm a pro," Archbold said briefly, his voice is raw.

They will go a separate path together in 2024 and Bennett will be set to leave BORA-Hansgrohe and join AG2R Citroën, but their path will certainly cross again, just as they did with the closing kilometer in China.

Both men kept their distance on a hard climb in the run-in at the final stage, rode together to the last kilometer and shared the journey once more.

When they reached the finish, Bennett gently patted his friend's shoulder, and they wheeled to a hundred meters or so stop past the finish line

he leaned quietly on the handlebar for a while while Bennett waited. There was no need for words, no one was spoken. After taking a bottle from the waiting Soigneur, they left again in the direction of the team hotel, together, but on different roads before them.