Thor Hushovd relieved to end cycling career due to illness

Hushovd " who won the green jersey at the Tour de France in 2005 and 2009 " also won 10 stages at cycling's most iconic race.

The BMC Racing Team rider's career highlight, though, was winning the 2010 world championship in Australia and will end his career after this year's edition of the event.

"This is a big relief for me because this mononucleosis (also known as glandular fever) is something that has been going on for months," he said in a statement on BMC's official website.

"I did not want to stop, but because I love the sport and love to compete and because of the problem I have, I just cannot do it anymore. On my bad days, I am suffering quite a bit.

"On the other side, I have a bad feeling about it in my gut because I am ending in a way that I didn't want it to end.

"If I was to write the last perfect chapter, it would not end like this. But there are some things in life you cannot control and I just have to accept that.

"My plan now is to finish the season well. I think the world champion (championship) is a great race to stop (at) and also because I won the world championships, it is a race that I admire. So I would like to stop my season there.

"In my time with the BMC Racing Team, I met a lot of great people and always had enjoyed great support during a difficult time for me and the team. So I really appreciated this."

Hushovd spent the majority of his career riding for Credit Agricole, while he also had a stint at Garmin-Cervelo. The Norwegian will not race in this year's Tour de France.