This announcement brings the curtain down on the BMX career of Britain's most successful rider, but don't discount him making an increased impact on the 4-Cross scene now that he can give it mor of his attention.

This is what Dale has to say about his decision:

"After giving it some serious thought I came to a decision to call it a day racing AA/ Elite in BMX. I have just turned 35 and it's time for a change and some new motivations and challenges. Free Agent / KHS, my family and close friends are fully supporting me on my plans and for 07 I'm going to give 4x Mountainbiking more of a push, something I've always wanted to do without the BMX distraction. The sport of 4x suits more of my age group and it's not as hectic as BMX, so it should suit me fine."

"Alongside racing MTB for KHS I'm going to be working more on Team management with Free Agent, among other Free Agent/ KHS duties. I feel I have pretty much reached all my goals in BMX and had a great time along the way, and even though I'm not racing I'll still be around as BMX is still in my heart and I'm as passionate about it now as I always have been since the day I began 25 years ago. It will be cool to just be a fan instead of a racer. I'm excited about the future."

Extreme Sports