Isreal Premier Tech rider Michael Woods announces retirement from cycling with epilogue: “Cycling is a ludicrously dangerous sport"

Michael Woods has officially announced the end of his professional cycling career in an epilogue posted on his team Israel–Premier Tech’s website. The Canadian, who won a memorable stage on the Puy de Dôme in the 2023 Tour de France, is calling it a day at the age of 38.

“Almost every time I race a bike, there is a point where I am flying along in a line of riders at 70 km/h, and I think, “A million years ago, we were monkeys.” Even if you dropped somebody from 100 years ago into the modern peloton, they would be so confused about what is going on. This sport is crazy, and has morphed into something so far from our original purpose as animals that anyone not born in the past century would not understand it. Every time I do a race, I feel an immense sense of luck to be doing it, as it is truly a pure luxury constructed by our own creativity. Riding around France, while literally billions of people watch, is my job, and that is nuts. What puts food on my table and a roof over my head has been riding a bike 30,000–35,000 km every year across all parts of the globe — for the entertainment of others.

As lucky as I have been to do this job, it also has its downsides. I have highlighted over the Tour, in this blog, that cycling is a ludicrously dangerous sport.

I once asked staff on my team: how much would they have to be paid, to drive around in a car at 50 km/h, 70 days a year, for 4-5 hours per day, in a T-shirt and shorts, and twice per year—with no control over when or where—they would be pushed out of the car? Statistically, that is roughly how many times the average pro rider crashes per season. Not one of the staff said less than 500k, and when I asked how many years they would do it, not one said more than two. I am now 11 years deep into doing this sport as a profession, and another two as an amateur. The toll it has taken on my health has been significant, and the time I have spent away from my family has been long.

Being a father, in particular, has shown me how at odds being one of the best riders in the world is with being a good dad. Unlike most sports, pro cycling, due to its extensive calendar, is a job that requires unending commitment. For the past five years, I have avoided giving my kids kisses when I pick them up from school in an attempt to prevent getting sick before a race. That is strange. More often than not, I sleep in another room, separate from my family, in an effort to optimize my sleep. Every aspect of my life has been examined and studied to maximize my ability to ride a bike. That all-encompassing pursuit I have loved and have no regrets doing, but it is something that can only be sustained for so long.

This maximal focus has taken me to winning a bronze medal at the World Championships, second place at a monument, and a stage victory at the world’s biggest bike race. Considering I started this sport at 25 years old, on a $1,000 bike gifted to me by my parents, knowing nothing about it, is insane. I thought, “I was once one of the best runners in the world—why can’t I be one of the best cyclists in the world?” Through an incredible amount of support from many people—including my wife, my parents, my coach and mentor of 12 years, Paulo Saldanha, my team, my boss and biggest supporter, Sylvan Adams, my main man and soigneur Jon Adams, my many great teammates—particularly the guy who suffered most with me over the past five years, Guillaume Boivin — and incredible staff, the Ottawa cycling community, people like Luc Mahler who convinced me to start racing, the numerous great directors, like Juanma Garate, who taught me how to be a true pro, and organizations, sponsors, and teams like B2Ten, Vince Caceres and The Cyclery, Louis Garneau, Bruno Langlois, Jonas Carney, and Jonathan Vaughters, who thought outside the box and took a chance on signing me—I was able to realize that goal. I managed to become one of the best cyclists in the world, and it is a journey I am damn proud of.

As they say, though, all good things must come to an end. I still have big ambitions and plans for the coming years that will involve exploring new arenas in endurance sports (I’ve got some epic plans, so stay tuned for these). But, for the reasons mentioned above, I have made the decision to retire from professional road cycling at the end of this season.

There was a time in my life when I would lie in bed at night, staring up at the ceiling, thinking, “What have I done? Where did I go wrong?” To go from that place to where I am today, I feel eternally grateful. So, to all the people who have helped me along the way—whether it was a simple encouraging message, cheering me on from the side of the road, or individuals like Nick Vipond and Kevin Field, who didn’t burst into laughter when I told them I wanted to make the Olympics in 2016, or Paulo and Sylvan, the two people who changed the trajectory of my entire life—I want to say thank you. Thank you for it all."