Stijn Steels crashed heavily on the first day at the Six Days in Ghent last month. He suffered several broken ribs and vertebrae.
It was a blow to Steels. His expiring contract with Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl was not renewed and his injury made it difficult to find accommodation elsewhere.
Now he has stopped that search. He tells the regional channel that he is very proud of his career.
“As a newcomer I dreamed of becoming a professional and I succeeded and then I dreamed of continuing to grow,” he said. “I got pretty high up the mountain. Not at the absolute top, but I was able to ride with the biggest stars for years and help them.”
“I would have liked to drive a little longer, if I could, but it will stop one day.”
Steels has been playing for Quick-Step since 2020. Before that he was under contract with Roompot (2019), Veranda’s Willems-Crelan (2018), (Top)Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise (2014-2017) and Crelan-Euphony (2013).
The native of Ghent was not much of a winner and triumphed in a few smaller races such as Dwars door de Vlaamse Ardennes (2015) and the GP de la Ville de Lillers Souvenir Bruno Comini (2016).
