After six years as a professional cyclist, Kobe Goossens began 2026 with a new job title in his Instagram bio: \u2018vastgoedmakelaar\u2019 \u2013 the Dutch term for a real estate agent.<\/p>\n
The Belgian announced on New Year\u2019s Day that, at 29 years old, he had called time on his cycling career. Goossens spent the past four years as part of WorldTour squad Intermarch\u00e9-Wanty<\/a>, but was left out of the team\u2019s recent merger with Lotto<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201c2025 marked the end of my cycling career. The end of a book, the end of a childhood dream,\u201d Goossens wrote on Instagram.<\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n \u201c2026 will mark the start of a new book with ERA Vijfhoek [a real estate agency in the Belgian city of Mechelen \u2013 ed.].\u201d<\/p>\n Already, the former WorldTour pro has swapped his Instagram picture to a LinkedIn-style headshot. He now appears in a beige turtleneck \u2013 instead of team kit \u2013 with folded arms and a warm smile.<\/p>\n Only eight riders from Intermarch\u00e9-Wanty’s 28-strong 2025 squad moved across to the new Lotto Intermarch\u00e9, which brought the \u201cunification\u201d of the WorldTour squad and the former ProTeam Lotto.<\/p>\n Of the remaining 20 riders, Goossens is the latest of six to confirm their retirement. Tom Paquot, the youngest of the six at 26 years old, described himself as a \u201ccollateral victim<\/a>\u201d of the merger. Some, like Louis Barr\u00e9<\/a>, were given last-minute lifelines by other teams.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, eight riders from Intermarch\u00e9\u2019s now closed Wanty-Nippo-ReUz are yet to announce new teams.<\/p>\n After riding for Belgian Continental teams and competing in cyclo-cross<\/a>, Goossens joined Lotto-Soudal\u2019s under-23 squad in 2018 as a 22-year-old. He graduated to the WorldTour with the team in 2020, before joining Intermarch\u00e9-Wanty <\/a>in 2022, where he went on to spend four seasons.<\/p>\n The Belgian took part in all three Grand Tours across his career, riding the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a<\/a> three times, the Giro d\u2019Italia<\/a> once, and the Tour de France<\/a> twice, most recently in 2024, when he won the combativity award on stage 10.<\/p>\n His closing palmar\u00e8s counts two pro wins, which came a day apart in 2023, at early-season one-day races on the Spanish island of Mallorca.<\/p>\n Commenting on Goossens\u2019s retirement, the rider’s former agents at Wasserman Cycling wrote on Instagram: \u201cA chapter closes, and a new one begins.<\/p>\n \u201cToday we say goodbye to Kobe Goossens, who has decided to retire from professional cycling. After years of racing at the highest level, from victories on Mallorca to strong showings in Grand Tours, Kobe has chosen to turn the page and begin a new journey off the bike.\u201d<\/p>\n Explore More<\/p>\n