Tom Dumoulin has announced he is ending his career as a professional cyclist with immediate effect, two months after saying he planned to quit at the end of 2022.

Dumolin, 31, who won the Giro d’Italia in 2017, said in a social media post that he ‘cannot do it anymore’.

‘The tank is empty, the legs feel heavy and training sessions are not working out as I had hoped,’ he said. He had been hoping to compete in the world championships in Australia at the end of the year as a swansong.

At the beginning of 2021 Dumoulin paused his career but came back to take part in the Tokyo Olympics, winning a silver medal in the time trials.

Dumoulin’s top level cycling career spans over 10 years and includes three Tour de France stage wins and a second place in the Tour in 2018.