As the level in pro cycling increases year after year, the sort of performances that earned big wins and results a few years ago can no longer pull it off, and so we begin to see a trend of riders retiring from competition earlier than they would have otherwise. Over the past hours Nans Peters and Jonas Koch have announced the end of their career at the end of 2025.
Jonas Koch is 32 years old and will end a career that began back in 2012, at the time turning pro with a continental team at the age of 19, something which is also rather common in the current peloton but did not use to be. From 2017 onwards his apparent quality saw him net a contract with the CCC Team, which later became World Tour level in 2019. He stayed there until 2020, signing with Intermarché – Wanty in the following season and then Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe in 2022 where he stayed until the end of his career.
The German rider is a quality rouleur and a reliable domestique. In fact throughout his career Koch did not take a pro win, although he was victorious at the 2015 Tour de l’Avenir. Most of his career was spent working for others, whilst also chasing results of his own mostly in sprint races throughout the 2010’s.
He has ridden 10 monuments and was also part of every single Grand Tour throughout his career, racing the Tour de France twice, Vuelta a España three times and the Giro d’Italia on one occasion. He abandoned the Tour of Holland throughout its queen stage and has thus ended his career in this way.
Retirement of a former Tour stage winner
Meanwhile at the Tour of Guangxi Nans Peters has called time on his career, entering the breakaway on what was his final race day. The Frenchman has a more sizeable palmarès, having turned pro in 2017 after spending his whole development in the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale development program. He also spent his entire career in the French team from start to finish, and closes it off at age 31.
In his palmarès are three victories, two of them in Grand Tours, certainly making for an impressive ratio. The top moment of his career came in 2020 when he won at the Tour de France, crossing the line in Loudenvielle in the Pyrenees by himself. On that day he was part of the day’s breakaway and dropped his rivals on the day’s many climbs including the Col de Peyresourde.
However with a Giro d’Italia victory the year before, there is a lot to take from his career, winning from a breakaway as well in Anterselva in what was another day in the mountains. His third and final victory came at the 2023 Trofeo Laigueglia.
Peters winning in Loudenvielle, 2020 Tour de France. @Imago