ANAHEIM, Calif. -- One week after winning his fourth AMA 450SX Supercross championship and his third in as many seasons, KTM motocross rider Ryan Dungey announced his retirement from the sport.
"It's hard to believe that this day has come," Dungey said during an emotional news conference held at Anaheim's Angel Stadium on Tuesday afternoon. "But after a lot of thinking and praying over the past several months, today I announce my retirement from racing professional Supercross and motocross."
The 450SX champ in 2010 and 2015-2017, Dungey also won the outdoor title three times, the Motocross des Nations championship three times and, in his 2010 rookie season, became the youngest rider to win a Supercross championship.
Known for being the most consistent rider the sport has seen, Dungey retires holding the record for the most consecutive podiums. In 2016, he became the first motorcycle racer to be featured on a box of Wheaties, and he twice has won the ESPY Award for best male action sports athlete.
"No one expected a kid from Minnesota to make it," Dungey said. "I remember seeing Supercross racing on TV as a kid for the first time, and that moment sparked something in me. I knew I wanted to be a pro Supercross racer.
"I fed off the mindset of champions, and I hoped to become one myself. I say this humbly, but I've achieved more than I could ever have imagined or dreamed. To think people could think of me as one of the greats is humbling."
KTM team manager Roger DeCoster, who first signed Dungey to a pro deal with Suzuki as a 16-year-old, said that Dungey always had a set amount of years he planned to race and that 10 years is longer than his initial promise.
"This is a really big day, and it's really hard to believe your career has gone by so quick," DeCoster said with tears in his eyes. "It's difficult to understand why a guy like you who is 100 percent healthy and only 27 decided to stop racing, but the biggest thing for you was you did not want to let us down. I'm so thankful to have worked with you.
"This ends a big chapter in our lives and in my career."
DeCoster then gave his prized racer one final opportunity to change his mind.
"Ryan, you have been known to change your mind from time to time," DeCoster said. "Are you sure about this?"
Dungey said he began contemplating retirement in November, before the start of the Supercross season, but didn't make a decision until the final race in Las Vegas.
"I thought to myself, 'I've had enough, I've pushed it and I'm left mentally exhausted. I want that win, but in my mind, win or lose, after Vegas, I think that might be it.' "
The Monday after the Vegas race, he called his team and told them he'd made a decision.
"I've gone as hard as I can for as long as I can," Dungey said. "The seasons are long and tough and it takes a lot of hard work and discipline to stay on top. I feel like I am in the best shape of my life.
"But mentally this year I've struggled. I've always raced because I loved it and wanted to win. Getting my head into the game wasn't the same this year."
After taking time off to celebrate his win, Dungey said he plans to attend a few motocross races to support KTM teammate Marvin Musquin, then figure out his future.
"I've learned so much with racing that I feel like it'd be a waste if I didn't apply it forward and help the next generation of KTM," he said. "I'm going to take time off, take my time and see what comes next."