And Otago's Brad Evans has not given up on cycling.
But the former Tour of Southland winner slipped away from the province quietly late last year.
His wife, Holly, got a job teaching at a school in Kaiapoi and the 27-year-old followed her.
He is working for an accountancy firm as a consultant and rides the 20km into Christchurch each day. So he is fit and race-ready but no longer riding for a professional team.
"I got a bit older and some real responsibilities," he said.
His wife is expecting their first child in four months and it was time to settle down.
"I had offers to keep going for another year but just decided I had had enough travelling. It is just a progression.
"When you are constantly on the road it gets tough. So I decided to have a break.
"I can still be a domestic rider ... just not the international stuff - not any more.
"There is no retirement announcement or anything. My name is just not on the start list for the Tour of Southland," he said.
Evans has not ruled out another shot at the Tour of Southland in the future, though.
He has great memories from his victory in 2015. He set up the win with an impressive ride up Bluff Hill and then stayed close to rival Robbie Hucker during the climb up Coronet Peak.
Evans was just the third Otago-based rider to win the Tour after inaugural winner Kelvin Hastie in 1956 and Gordon McCauley in 1996.
"Growing up I was always looking forward to racing down there and it is always a special week.
"I don't miss the training because I used to flog myself.
"But I would have loved to have been there. Maybe next year or the year after."
Promising rider Kees Duyvesteyn is Otago's leading contender this year and Evans rates the 21-year-old highly.
"He is a really strong kid and switched on, too. He is doing some phenomenal numbers.
"He is doing better numbers now than I was when I won the Tour of Southland.
"He has a massive engine. He just has to learn how not to crash so much. I think he had a lie-down [crash, on stage 1] as well.
"But that will come with age and experience and learning how to race in a big bunch."
