US star Veronica Ewers forced to step back from cycling: ‘I've not had my period since 2014’

Life as a professional cyclist is brutally demanding, with no shortage of obstacles along the way. But for many women in the peloton, the burden is often even heavier. Demi Vollering has spoken openly about her struggles with menstruation, and now an American star rider is being forced to step away from the sport because of the toll it has taken on her body.

Veronica Ewers is a latecomer to cycling. She started as a football player at Willamette University in Oregon and eventually found her way to cycling through a passion for running. In 2021, at the age of 26, she made her continental debut. Her rapid rise earned her a WorldTour contract just one year later, and she immediately looked like the next American standout.

Her breakthrough with EF Education came in 2022: she won the Navarra Women’s Elite Classic, finished ninth in the Tour de France Femmes, and placed second in the Giro dell’Emilia. The sky was the limit for Ewers, who went on to finish fourth in the 2023 Giro Donne. But in 2024 her progress stalled due to persistent physical problems — and those issues have still not resolved.

She already took a short break late last year, but that proved insufficient. “Several weeks ago, I received my blood test results which showed my hormone levels were still nearly non existent,” she explains on Instagram. She expands on the situation in her Substack. “I’ve not had my period since 2014. My bones are weak. My gastrointestinal function is shit.”

In recent years she was unable to return to her former level, for reasons that, in hindsight, were painfully clear. "Trying to perform, which I physically couldn’t do until my hormones recover, while trying to recover, which I couldn’t do until I stop trying to perform at the top level, was like beating my head against the wall," the 31-year-old American explained.

That is why a real break is now essential. Not a few weeks, not a few months, but potentially a very long time. "Therefore I will not continue training/racing in 2026. I’ve put myself into a hole by abusing my body for too long -well before I entered the world of cycling."

Ewers intends to return to the sport eventually, but she admits she doesn’t know when - or if it will be possible at all. " My body needs a full reset before it can be at its best. I’m tired of being mediocre. And most importantly, I want to go hiking, cycling, running, etc when I’m older."