Two European championship titles, two World Cup victories, three elite world championship medals - and much more: two-time Olympian Florian Vogel is one of the most successful Swiss cyclists of the past two decades. Now the man from Aargau, who has lived on the upper reaches of Lake Zurich for some time, has decided to end his professional career.

"In the World Cup race in Albstadt, I finished fifth once again among the best, and at the European Championships in Brno I won the silver medal behind Mathieu Van der Poel. This closed a circle for me, as I had won my first European Championship medal as a junior in 1999, 20 years earlier," says the 37-year-old.

The fact that Vogel has taken part in 21 consecutive world championships is testament to his exceptional consistency. He is particularly proud of this streak, says the family man.

From athlete to coach

For Florian Vogel, however, much of his life after his career revolves around cycling. He is training to become a professional coach in Magglingen, taking over the management of the regional base in Zug/Central Switzerland and thus remaining in the service of Swiss Cycling.

In future, he will act as sports director at Biketeam Solothurn and will also expand his coaching commitment on a private basis: Together with Swiss U19 MTB national coach Martin Gujan, Vogel runs Velocoach GmbH, whose clients include athletes of all levels.