Allan Peiper steps back from UAE-Emirates to focus on health
Australian ex-pro joined the team in 2019 and helped Tadej Pogačar emerge as a Tour de France powerhouse.
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Allan Peiper, the Australian sport director who helped Tadej Pogačar win the 2020 Tour de France, will step back from his work to focus on his health going into 2022, UAE Team Emirates officials confirmed.
Peiper, 61, retired from his sport director role following Paris-Roubaix in October but had hoped to continue with the WorldTour team in an advisory role.
Officials confirmed Monday he will “now focus on home life after a wonderful three years with the squad.”
“The treatment for cancer, which I have undergone in the last six years, has taken a huge toll on me mentally and physically. So much so that I don’t feel at this time that I can do the job like I want,” Peiper said Monday.
“The last three years with UAE Team Emirates have been a wonderful experience,” Peiper said. “The team took me in knowing I had been sick and yet offered me every opportunity, immense support, and understanding for which I am utterly grateful.”
Allan Peiper helped guide Pogačar to back-to-back yellow jerseys
Peiper joined the Emirati squad in 2019 and played an important role in the team’s many successes, including two Tour de France victories with Pogačar in 2020 and 2021.
Team principal and CEO Mauro Gianetti expressed his gratitude to Peiper, who raced in the 1980s and 1990s as part of a wave of foreign riders to penetrate the European-centric peloton.
“Though he is stepping back, Allan will always be a member of our team. In these three years, we have all learned a lot from him. His professionalism, commitment, and knowledge have been invaluable to the team and we are all very grateful and thankful for what he has done,” Gianetti said.
“We wish him the very best and are all supporting him in his latest fight, that we know he will tackle with the same drive and determination as he always does,” he said. “Allan’s place in the team will remain for good, and the door is open to him as soon as his health improves.”
💛🤍⚪🔴 3 stages, 3 jerseys, 🇸🇮 @TamauPogi was the strongest on #TDF2021! Which bit impressed you the most?
💛🤍⚪🔴 3 étapes, 3 maillots, 🇸🇮 @TamauPogi était le plus fort sur le #TDF2021! Quel moment vous a le plus impressionné ? pic.twitter.com/I7Lat9BjCi
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) December 10, 2021
