Bahrain Victorious has announced that veteran rider Heinrich Haussler will not return to racing this year, the seventh and final year of his contract with the team, but will move into the position of sport director.

The team released a statement two days before Paris-Roubaix, reporting that 39-year-old Heinrich Haussler had yet to start for the team this season, but had undergone heart examinations by German and Italian specialists in recent weeks after changes were found during a routine medical examination in December ...

The diagnosis resulted in a recommendation for "various treatment options," stating that "the risks associated with continued participation in sports at an elite level are greater than the benefits."

"Looking back now, there are tears of joy as well as sadness that I have to stop, but I am happy and I think I have gotten the most out of sports for the last four to five years at my age. I am happy to take the next step and move on as a sports director," Haussler said in a team statement.

"Now that the decision to stop has been made for me, I can look back on all the great memories of my career and spend more time with my family. I can say I have given it all and can move on to the next stage of my life."

An Australian, he was born in New South Wales and moved to his father's homeland of Germany as a teenager, where he began his professional career in 2005 with Gerolsteiner, winning a stage at the Vuelta a España. He went on to win 21 races in his 18-year professional career.

He won the 2015 Australian road championship title ahead of Caleb Yuan; in 2017 he joined the Bahrain WorldTour team after two seasons with IAM Cycling. His last race was in September, when he represented Australia at his home World Championships.

"It's a great feeling when your planning pays off and you help your team win. It was one of my proudest moments, like when Sonny [Colbrelli] won in Roubaix. It's hard to hold back tears when I think about that day, and that experience will unite a group of riders," said Ostler, reflecting on Paris-Roubaix 2021, which his teammate won, and his 10th place finish.

." This sport is something I grew up with and am super passionate about.

Colbrelli retired from the sport last year, a few months after suffering an unstable arrhythmia in the spring. He continued to work with Bahrain Victorious as a technical and ambassador and was scheduled to support the team through 2024.

Colbrelli's victory in Paris-Roubaix gave a big boost to Bahrain's spring program two years ago; in 2022, Matej Mohoric finished fifth, making him one of the favorites to win this year.