Craven bows out of professional cycling

Namibian cyclist Dan Craven has taken his final bow in professional cycling to concentrate on his family and business.
Craven, who spoke to the Namibian Sun sports desk, said he didn’t return to Namibia to compete in the Commonwealth Games selection races as there are now other things in life which take precedence.
The father of two young children said his children come first.
“My son is two-and-a-half-years-old, my baby daughter turned one recently. So, family comes first, business second and then cycling comes third. Things have changed for me,” he said.
He further elaborated that he had an amazing career in terms of the experiences he had over the years, the places he visited and the things he did.

Coming home
“I never reached the heights that I hoped to reach. I never raced the Tour de France, but I raced the Tour of Spain, I went to two Olympic Games. Had you told me 20 years ago that a little boy from Omaruru would achieve that, I would not have believed you. I’m very happy with that," he said.
“Coming home is really amazing. The cycling scene has improved a lot. What the Namibia Cycling Federation has put in place, to see that happening is amazing. The clubs have done a lot, the Windhoek Pedal Power racing series with their team format has revolutionised the road racing scene. All the bike shops are involved, and they have brought onboard a lot of people, and mountain biking has taken over Namibia."
The cyclist added that he is really excited to watch the likes of local favourites Tristan de Lange, Alex Miller and Hugo Hagn.
“I have been racing with them for some time and it’s great to see their growth. They have so much potential and I want to help out as much as I can and I hope that can happen more and more in the future."
Mentoring, he mentioned, is what he hopes to do in the future, not so much coaching. “I will help out youngsters and mentor them. There are a lot of people who can coach; it’s important to mentor. I’m happy to do that in the future,” he said.

Lived the dream
Craven started cycling seriously when he studied at Stellenbosch University. After graduating with a degree in politics, philosophy and economics, he moved to Switzerland in 2005 to pursue a cycling career.
A strong time trialist, he was a runner-up in the 2006 African Championships, and boasts a seventh place in the time trial at the 2007 B World Championships in Cape Town.
He joined the Rapha Condor team for the 2009 season. Craven was the 2008 African Road Race champion, having taken the crown in Casablanca in November just two days after he picked up a bronze in the African Time Trial Championships. He joined Team IG-Sigma Sport for the 2012 season.
The local cycling legend spent 2013 riding for Synergy Baku before joining the German-based Bike Aid–Ride for Help Squad for 2014. In May of that year, it was announced that he had been signed to the UCI World Tour team, Team Europcar, with effect from July. His first major goal was the last grand tour of 2014, the Tour de Spain.
In 2015, he won the Namibian National Road Race Championships for the fourth time.
"I want to express my deepest thanks to my family, my friends and my fans. Without you, I could not have lived my dream and I will never forget that,” he said.