Forgotten Premier League transfer flop takes up new career as professional cyclist

Jelle van Damme mightiness not person been a occurrence successful English shot aft failed spells with Southampton and Wolves but did negociate 542 appearances successful his vocation - and he's present acceptable to effort his luck successful a wholly antithetic sport

Former Southampton and Wolves defender Jelle van Damme has completed a singular vocation alteration aft swapping shot for nonrecreational cycling.

The 41-year-old joined the Saints for £2.5million from Ajax successful 2004 and lone featured 9 times successful a play wherever the nine were relegated, earlier the Belgian prima joined Anderlecht.

After 4 seasons with the Belgian side, helium past had a one-season spell backmost successful the Premier League with Wolves, playing conscionable six games earlier finishing his vocation with Standard Liege, LA Galaxy, Royal Antwerp and Lokeren.

The shot journeyman mightiness not person been a occurrence successful English shot but did negociate 542 appearances successful his vocation - and he's present acceptable to effort his luck successful a wholly antithetic sport.

Since retiring from shot successful 2020, Van Damme has been stepping up his involvement successful cycling and is present pushing towards nonrecreational cycling aft qualifying for the Unbound World Cup of gravel cycling successful the United States aboriginal this year.

Van Damme says helium has enjoyed cycling truthful overmuch that if helium could crook backmost time, helium would instrumentality up the athletics alternatively of football.

"If I could person my clip implicit again I would acceptable retired to beryllium a racing cyclist - contempt each I person experienced successful football," helium said, via the Sun. "I deliberation I would win fixed my mindset and personality. I ever comparison myself to [Belgian pro] Tim Declercq. I'm not idiosyncratic who looks to triumph the races, but a bully 'servant' who helps my teammates execute the champion imaginable finish.

"My passionateness for the athletics has grown. I person taken connected a coach, and I present person afloat sponsorship. "I began cycling with my brothers and nephews, doing 40-50km rides, but present I tin bash 120km distances."

Van Damme said helium has taken the aforesaid warring attributes from his shot vocation into cycling saying helium was not acrophobic to conflict with different riders adjacent if helium has a setback.

"Just similar successful football, I tin endure connected the bike. I tin interruption down, but I'll retrieve quickly. As an jock I volition privation much erstwhile I spot that I'm getting better.

"I tin beryllium a close b****** astatine times. I was similar that arsenic a footballer, and I'm the aforesaid present erstwhile I get connected my bike. I deliberation I tin thrust well, and erstwhile I'm successful a peloton I americium not acrophobic to propulsion myself around. My household radical calls maine Kamikaze, arsenic I'll spell from zero to flying circular bends astatine apical speed. Once an athlete, ever an athlete."

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