British cycling fans were met with a surprise on Wednesday as Simon Yates — one of his generation’s most accomplished Grand Tour riders — announced his retirement
from professional cycling at age 33. The Visma-Lease a Bike team confirmed the news, saying Yates has chosen to step away from the sport with his career still riding high after a stellar 2025 season.[1]
Yates, a former track world champion whose career spanned more than a decade, goes out on a high note. Last May he captured the Giro d’Italia, adding one of cycling’s most coveted titles to a résumé that already included overall victory at the 2018 Vuelta a España.
In announcing his decision, Yates spoke with reflection and gratitude. “I am deeply proud of what I have managed to achieve and equally grateful for the lessons that came with it,” he said in a statement released by his team. “While the victories will always stand out, the harder days and setbacks were just as important. They taught me resilience and patience, and made the successes mean even more.”
Across his career, Yates notched multiple stage wins in Grand Tours — including three at the Tour de France and two at the Vuelta — and recorded a best overall finish of fourth in the Tour de France in 2023. His first steps in elite competition came on the track, where he claimed the world championship title in the points race in Minsk in 2013.
The twin brother of fellow professional cyclist Adam Yates, Simon also navigated challenges along the way, including a four-month doping ban in 2016. He has said that period — and other setbacks — helped shape his approach to competition and life. [1]
Yates’s retirement marks the end of a remarkable career that brought British cycling glory on some of the sport’s biggest stages, and leaves fans and teammates alike celebrating a rider who chose to leave the peloton while still at the top of his game. [2]
Links:
[1]: https://www.reuters.com/sports/briton-simon-yates-ends-professional-career-2026-01-07/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Briton Simon Yates ends professional career"
[2]: https://www.espn.co.uk/cycling/story/_/id/47539661/briton-simon-yates-announces-shock-cycling-retirement?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Briton Simon Yates announces shock cycling retirement - ESPN"
Photo by René Hourdry, Wikimedia commons.