The 2025 season sees plenty of top riders and former stars hanging up their wheels and this includes former Grand Tour winners, World Champions and many of the 2010’s best sprinters. It is a list of 28 World Tour riders and 17 ProTeam riders, thus far, who have confirmed they are ending their careers.
The biggest ‘star’ hanging up his wheels this season perhaps is Geraint Thomas, winner of the 2018 season, long-standing member of INEOS Grenadiers and influential figure for over a decade now in the peloton. He ended his career at the Tour of Britain at home in Wales, an ideal finale. Other GC riders such as Romain Bardet, Rafal Majka, Louis Meintjes have Michael Woods also raced for the final time as pros this season.In the field of the classics specialists Rui Costa is retiring, the only former rainbow jersey to do it this year – although several silver and bronze medalists are also in this position. What is most notable is the list of sprinters retiring this year, struggling to keep up with the pace of the new generation who specialize in multiple terrains, not just the sprints. It is a golden list of fast men, many of which marked and dominated races in the 2010’s.
Alexander Kristoff, Elia Viviani, Giacomo Nizzolo, Caleb Ewan, Arnaud Démare (and his memorable leadout Dan McLay) all retired at the end of the year. Combined, these men have over 350 pro wins…
Geraint Thomas has last raced at the Tour of Britain. @SWpix.com
World Tour riders retiring NameTeamAge1 BOUCHARD GeoffreyDecathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team33y + 274d2 JANSSENS JimmyAlpecin – Deceuninck36y + 215d3 MEINTJES LouisIntermarché – Wanty33y + 313d4 PEREZ AnthonyCofidis34y + 253d5 FRAILE OmarINEOS Grenadiers35y + 167d6 MCLAY DanielTeam Visma | Lease a Bike33y + 362d7 DECLERCQ TimLidl – Trek36y + 285d8 THOMAS GeraintINEOS Grenadiers39y + 220d9 DE MARCHI AlessandroTeam Jayco AlUla39y + 226d10 DELAPLACE AnthonyArkéa – B&B Hotels36y + 111d11 VAN DER SANDE ToshTeam Visma | Lease a Bike35y + 33d12 MAJKA RafałUAE Team Emirates – XRG36y + 110d13 SERRY PieterSoudal Quick-Step37y + 40d14 PETIT AdrienIntermarché – Wanty35y + 96d15 PUCCIO SalvatoreINEOS Grenadiers36y + 122d16 COSTA RuiEF Education – EasyPost39y + 87d17 DÉMARE ArnaudArkéa – B&B Hotels34y + 127d18 CASTROVIEJO JonathanINEOS Grenadiers38y + 248d19 KOCH JonasRed Bull – BORA – hansgrohe32y + 189d20 PETILLI SimoneIntermarché – Wanty32y + 241d21 PETERS NansDecathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team31y + 294d22 GESBERT ÉlieArkéa – B&B Hotels30y + 183d23 GIBBONS RyanLidl – Trek31y + 140d24 SCHELLING IdeXDS Astana Team27y + 328d25 FINÉ EddyCofidis27y + 219d26 BARDET RomainTeam Picnic PostNL34y + 218d27 EWAN CalebINEOS Grenadiers30y + 299d28 VAN DEN BERG LarsGroupama – FDJ26y + 249d
Victory number 97 for Alexander Kristoff at this year’s Vuelta a Andalucia. The Norwegian looked to reach 100, but ended his career at 98. @Sirotti
ProTeam riders retiring NameTeamAge1 LATOUR PierreTeam TotalEnergies32y + 80d2 SBARAGLI KristianTeam Solution Tech – Vini Fantini35y + 237d3 KRIEGER AlexanderTudor Pro Cycling Team34y + 33d4 BRAMBILLA GianlucaQ36.5 Pro Cycling Team38y + 131d5 SOUPE GeoffreyTeam TotalEnergies37y + 284d6 NIZZOLO GiacomoQ36.5 Pro Cycling Team36y + 335d7 KRISTOFF AlexanderUno-X Mobility38y + 179d8 VIVIANI EliaLotto36y + 327d9 VLIEGEN LoïcWagner Bazin WB32y + 11d10 WOODS MichaelIsrael – Premier Tech39y + 80d11 COLMAN AlexTeam Flanders – Baloise27y + 162d12 BALDACCINI DavideTeam Solution Tech – Vini Fantini27y + 223d13 MARTIN DavidBurgos Burpellet BH26y + 315d14 DEJAEGHER JasperTeam Flanders – Baloise24y + 342d15 ZUBELDIA UnaiEuskaltel – Euskadi22y + 177d16 BUDDING MartijnUnibet Tietema Rockets30y + 19d17 DE LA PARTE VíctorEuskaltel – Euskadi38y + 258d