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Follow us on GoogleThere are few sports quite like cycling. An individual sport, practiced as part of a team. Athletes are judged individually on their results, yet depend on the actions of others in a large peloton. Cycling is a sport of individual self-interest versus collective solidarity. Saying goodbye to riders who are retiring from professional cycling remains one of the most beautiful aspects of the sport.
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We began 2026 with the sudden end of Simon Yates’s career at Visma | Lease a Bike, along with the end of Eli Iserbyt’s career at Pauwels Sauzen-Altez Industriebouw. In February, it was Simon Clarke’s turn; he finished out the Australian season and then hung up his bike back home with NSN.
Most riders, however, won’t retire until after this season—all but one. Over the summer, Julian Alaphilippe called it quits with immediate effect. The Frenchman from Tudor decided he’d had enough. “It’s no longer fun. It’s okay, it’s over. It’s time to quit when it’s no longer fun,” he said meaningfully.
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Julian Alaphilippe
Quintana, Caruso, and Mezgec bid farewell to cycling
Most riders who are retiring after 2026 will finish out the season this week. There are really a lot of big names among them. Nairo Quintana rode his final race at the Giro dell’Emilia, where he received the traditional send-off: a guard of honor formed by all the participating riders, with their front wheels spinning in the air. In the Binche-Chimay-Binche race, Jasper De Buyst (Lotto-Intermarché) received the same farewell.
Luka Mezgec bid farewell on home soil at the European Championships in Slovenia. He had to drop out of the race early and was taken in by none other than Tadej Pogačar. “After that, he became a sort of idol and mentor to me on the national team. And yes, I learned a lot from him, and he’s really had an amazing career,” said Pogi.
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Tadej Pogacar came to say goodbye to Luka Mezgec.
Caruso and Mosca bid farewell in Gran Piemonte; Mollema in Lombardy
Steven Kruijswijk wrapped up his career with Visma | Lease a Bike during the Vuelta a España, while many others will still be in action during the final days of the season. Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious) and Jacopo Mosca (Lidl-Trek) bid farewell on Thursday at the Gran Piemonte; on Saturday, a whole host of riders will also use the Tour of Lombardy as their final race.
In addition to Pello Bilbao (also with Bahrain), the same applies to Bauke Mollema of Lidl-Trek. In an interview with the NOS, he briefly looked ahead to his impending farewell in the race he won in 2019.
“This is the perfect farewell race. For years, I’ve had it in my head that this should be my farewell. In the races over the past few days, I didn’t want to take any risks. Imagine if you crashed and had to miss the Tour of Lombardy.”
"It's been a good run," said Mollema. "Especially in recent months, I've been looking forward to retiring. Physically, I do have a few minor aches and pains; things aren’t going great. Maybe it’s my age. My body is starting to rebel. Cycling is getting tougher and tougher, especially at the highest level, and to compete at the front, you have to make sacrifices.”
WorldTour riders who retired or will retire in 2026
- Pello Bilbao - Bahrain-Victorious
- Damiano Caruso - Bahrain-Victorious
- Jasper De Buyst - Lotto Intermarché
- Magnus Cort - Uno-X Mobility
- Jonas Hem Hvideberg - Uno-X Mobility
- Guillaume Boivin - NSN
- Alexey Lutsenko - NSN
- Simon Clarke - NSN
- Luka Mezgec - Jayco AlUla
- Nairo Quintana - Movistar
- Ben Swift - Netcompany INEOS
- Bob Jungels - Netcompany INEOS
- Bauke Mollema - Lidl-Trek
- Max Walscheid - Lidl-Trek
- Steven Kruijswijk - Visma | Lease a Bike
- Simon Yates - Visma | Lease a Bike
- Eli Iserbyt - Pauwels Sauzen-Altez Industriebouw Cycling Team
ProTour riders who retired or will retire in 2026
- Odd Christian Eiking - Unibet Rose Rockets
- Jesús Herrada - Burgos Burpellet BH
- David De La Cruz - Pinarello Q36.5
- Damien Howson - Pinarello Q36.5
- Ion Izagirre - Cofidis
- Geoffrey Bouchard - TotalEnergies
- Fabien Grellier - TotalEnergies
- Lorrenzo Manzin - TotalEnergies
- Julian Alaphilippe - Tudor
David Bavin-HobbsChief Editor
David has been working in the sports & cycling industry for 16 years. Covering racing, business and technology, he has worked in communications for cycling companies, teams, and as a journalist. His proudest achievement is winning the first bike race he ever entered. He hasn't won a race since.
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Latest Comments
- - ¡Qué ilusión para el ciclismo español! If Noval can combine climbing, time trialling and that mental strength, Spain may have another superstar on its hands.davidm08-10-2026
- - I’m still learning the sport—how can someone be the second-youngest WorldTour pro ever if his contract starts in 2027? Does that record depend on his exact birthday and debut date?pedalpowe2908-10-2026
- - “Once-in-a-generation talent” is a huge claim. What power numbers did Noval actually produce in Asturias, and how do they compare with riders of the same age?jeremya08-10-2026
- - The Contador comparisons are exciting, but also a bit premature. Time-trial ability is a major advantage, though the jump from juniors to the WorldTour can be brutal. Hopefully INEOS gives him time to develop rather than expecting instant results.patriciaw08-10-2026
- - Noval’s junior season has been absolutely ridiculous. Winning both world titles and the European time trial title suggests he isn’t just a climber—his versatility could be what separates him from the other big prospects.gearguru3308-10-2026
- Great drama, but the article leans a little too hard into the “what if” angle. Evenepoel still had to recover from a crash and finish the job—credit where it’s due.robert6507-10-2026
- What exactly is a pacer in this situation, and why was Ciccone listening to that information instead of just watching the race? I’m still learning the tactics, but it seems like Scaroni being behind changed everything.andrewf07-10-2026
- The photo finish sounds far too vulnerable to tiny setup errors. If the line is curved and the camera alignment is even slightly off, can we really call a one-pixel victory completely definitive?jennifer1907-10-2026
- Ciccone’s final turn was excellent, but I agree with Zonneveld that he probably worked too much before the finish. With Scaroni behind, sitting on Remco’s wheel would have been the smarter gamble.bikebuffj07-10-2026
- Evenepoel showed serious resilience after that crash. Coming back, attacking on the descent and still winning the sprint is a proper champion’s performance.cadencekingm07-10-2026
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