French climber forced to retire at 30 after the collapse of Arkéa–B&B Hotels

After an internship at FDJ in 2016, Gesbert turned professional with Fortuneo-Vital Concept. The Pro-continental team became Arkéa-Samsic in 2019, and in 2024, sponsor B&B Hotels joined. The Frenchman spent his entire professional career with the Breton team, where he often demonstrated his impressive climbing skills. In 2022, on his 22nd birthday, he was selected to ride in the Tour de France for the first time.

Gesbert was exceptionally reliable in the smaller races. During his career, he finished 4th in the Tour of Oman and 5th in the Tour of Valencia, among other achievements. He also won a stage in the Tour of the Algarve and the Tour du Limousin. However, the last two years have been a lot less successful for the climber. This was mainly due to a narrowed femoral artery.

He was unable to resolve this problem. His results disappeared, but so did his team, Arkéa-B&B Hotels. That is why, after 10 full years as a professional, including 4 participations in the Tour and 3 participations in the Vuelta a España, the Frenchman is saying goodbye. “After careful consideration, I have decided to end my career as a professional cyclist,” he said on Instagram.

The farewell is difficult, but Gesbert remains optimistic. "Since 2016, I have been fortunate to defend the colors of Arkéa-B&B Hotels and experience an incredible human and sporting adventure. Years full of emotions, challenges, pride, and moments I will never forget. Despite the injuries and trials I had to endure, I can only remember the positive things.“

”This decision is difficult, but also clear. It's not a failure — just the end of a beautiful chapter and the beginning of another." While riders such as Kévin Vauquelin (INEOS) and Raúl García Pierna (Movistar) have already found a new team, many others are still waiting for a new opportunity, including Australian Miles Scotson and Frenchmen Clément Venturini and Thibault Guernalec.