Simon van Velthooven, a former international cyclist who is now a pioneering sailor and won his third America's Cup in 2014 with Team New Zealand has announced that he will retire from professional sports.

Van Velthooven was a three-time world champion on the track and won a bronze in the keirin event at the London Olympics of 2012. He then joined Team New Zealand to compete for the America's Cup 2017.

The four cyclors of Team New Zealand, who were sailors who pedaled stationary bikes furiously to produce the power to control the hoisting and adjusting the sails on the boat that year, helped them to win over Team USA in Bermuda.

Van Velthooven retained his position for the successful defense of the "Auld Mug", in 2021, even though foot power was banned. Team New Zealand and the rest of their fleet went back to using the traditional arm-power grinders.

Batteries will likely replace muscles in the 2027 America's Cup race.

Van Velthooven wrote on Wednesday in a post to social media that "I feel incredibly lucky to have lived out two sporting goals." Van Velthooven is 36. "Representing New Zealand at the Olympic stage, winning a gold medal in London 2012 when I was 23 years old and then contributing to 3 history-making America’s Cup campaigns.

"Both experiences have pushed me past what I thought I was capable of and I am grateful for each challenge, lesson and teammate I encountered along the way.

It feels right to end this chapter and move on. (Reporting and editing by Kate Mayberry; Reporting by Nick Mulvenney)

(source: Reuters)