Yukon’s most recognizable athlete over the past decade has called it a career.

Zach Bell, 33, confirmed his retirement from professional cycling to the Star yesterday, with an official announcement expected later in the week.

The two-time Olympian has accepted several new positions in the last few weeks that will keep him close to the sport he loves, however.

Next season, Bell will serve as team director of Optum Pro Cycling’s women’s squad.

Bell also announced the creation of Parcours Cycling – the first team-recognized, professional certification for athletes, of which he is directing manager.

Bell was also among the 50 Canadian athletes named to the RBC Olympians Program, which will see him receive financial compensation in exchange for work as a community ambassador.

His next announcement will be one of retirement, Bell said.

“It’s been a decision that’s been evolving over the past three or four years since the (2012 Olympic) Games,” he said. “It’s always been a question of where I fit in the sport.”

Bell said he had a feeling the 2015 season with Team SmartStop would be his last when he signed his contract last January.

His decision to retire wasn’t easy, he acknowledged.

“Anytime you leave a sport as a competitive athlete, I think it’s difficult,” he said. “It’s been a tough transition for me.

“But I always told myself and other athletes that when I was done, I wanted to try and stay as closely involved in the sport as I could handle, to pass on some of that knowledge that I’ve accumulated over the years. That’s something that a lot of the athletes ahead of me really didn’t do.”

Bell endured a tough season, which included a month away from the sport due to fatigue, but he firmly believes he could still have contributed to a professional cycling team next year.

“I still have the physiology and feel capable,” he said. “But basically, every year my list of needs in order to continue gets longer.

“This year, there was really only one team that I wanted to ride for after SmartStop closed up shop, and that was the Optum guys. And when they didn’t have room on the roster for me, that was it.”

The five-foot-nine, 161-pound cyclist rode for a variety of teams over his decade-long career, and represented Yukon at two Olympic Games.

He owns medals from the world championships and Pan Am Games.

Bell earned the second silver medal of his career in the omnium at the 2012 world track cycling championships in Australia, prior to the London Olympics.

“That whole year was really quite something,” Bell recalled. “Performance-wise for me, that’s obviously a pretty big highlight.”

On a personal level, however, he said the most meaningful title was the long-coveted Canadian road victory in 2013.

“I know it’s not as big as a worlds medal, but where that sat in my career and the things I had to work through to get there ... was just a huge achievement,” said Bell.

The win came less than a year after Bell and his wife Rebecca’s son Paxton died shortly after he was born Oct. 13, 2012.

“To be able to make my way back to a competitive level ... that led to another couple years of really good performances.”

The couple welcomed a daughter, Lucy, in June 2014.

Next year, Bell’s role with Optum Pro Cycling represents a homecoming of sorts – he raced with the team in 2009 and 2010.

In a press release, Bell said he’d always hoped to work with Optum again.

“This team has a professional and ethical program and is full of potential,” he said.

Bell will oversee a strong contingent of Canadian women in 2016, including Jasmin Glaesser, Kirsti Lay, Katherine Maine, Sara Poidevin and Catherine Ouellette.

“It’s exciting to have a strong Canadian element within our team – especially during an Olympic year,” said Bell. “Some of them are already on the short list for Rio.”

The orange and black squad is set to contest an extensive road criterium schedule in North America.

As for his new professional certification program, Bell has partnered with Parcours Institute Inc. to create a curriculum designed to prepare athletes and staff for life in the pros.

“To this day, there has been no centralized training program for all the demands of the pro circuit,” Bell explained.

“Many of these skills can be taught quickly and efficiently before the athletes enter the professional ranks.”