Tom-Jerte Slugger has announced his retirement from professional cycling.

The 31-year-old Slagger turned pro in 2011 with Rabobank, spending three years with the team now known as Jumbo Visma, where he achieved the biggest win of his career by winning the overall Tour Down Under in 2013.

In 2014, he moved to Jonathan Vaughters' Garmin team (now EF Pro Cycling) and won two stages in Paris-Nice, stage wins at the Tour of Alberta, Tour du Haut Var, Tour of Austria, Liège-Bastogne Liège, La Flèche Wallonne, Grand Prix de Montréal, and Grand Prix de Québec, and top 10 finishes in the Tour of France.

After two seasons with Dimension Data, he spent 2020 at the pro team level with B&B Hotels - Vital Concepts.

"After a 10-year career as a professional cyclist, it was time for a new path. [These 10 years as a cyclist have been nothing short of amazing. But now is the right time to say goodbye."

Slugger also announced that he will begin a new career in January, working as a representative for Groenoord, a John Deere dealer that manufactures tractors and other farm machinery.

"I can also announce where my future lies, as I have entered into a cooperative relationship with Groenoord in the capacity of agricultural machinery representative in my beloved state of Groningen," Slugger wrote.

"I am really looking forward to this new step and can't wait to build our future together. I want to say thank you to everyone who has supported and followed me throughout my cycling career."

In an interview with the local newspaper Dagblad Van Het Noorden (opens in new tab), he added: "I am very happy to be here. If there had been an opening from Fendt or New Holland, I would not have even contacted them."

"I've always loved the sport and still do. I'm not tired of it. But I've done a lot of other things as well. Cycling has been a big part of my life, but it has never been my whole life. I was away from home too much every day. I wanted to be with my kids."