Maria Giulia Confalonieri has confirmed to Bici.pro that she will retire from professional cycling at the end of the season. The Italian rider is currently in France for her final races, after which she will close a career that began back in 2012.
The decision does not come from a lack of form – at 32 she remains competitive – but from her own sense of timing. “I could have gone on,” she said, “but I feel this is the right moment. I want to stop while I’m still riding well.”
A varied journey through the pro ranks
Confalonieri’s professional story began with Faren-Honda in 2012, where she stayed until 2014, before moving to Alé Cipollini in 2015. Two years with Lensworld followed, then came her step up with Valcar in 2018 and 2019, where she was part of an all-Italian environment that she remembers fondly.
From 2020 to 2022 she rode for Ceratizit-WNT, before joining Uno-X in 2023 and playing a key role in the Norwegian team’s WorldTour development.
- 2025-2023: Uno-X Mobility (WorldTour)
- 2022-2020: Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling (Continental)
- 2019-2018: Valcar
- 2017-2016: Lensworld
- 2015: Alé Cipollini
- 2014-2012: Faren-Honda/Faren-Kuota
Consistency and teamwork
Confalonieri’s career has been defined more by consistency and reliability than by prolific winning. Her sole professional victory came at the AG Tour de la Semois in 2022, where she took the overall. But her palmarès is full of strong results across the Classics and stage races:
- 3rd Gent-Wevelgem (2022)
- 3rd Festival Elsy Jacobs (2021)
- 5th Ronde van Drenthe (2023)
- 5th Gent-Wevelgem (2024)
- 5th RideLondon Classique (2016)
- 5th Vårgårda WestSweden (2016)
- 5th Vuelta España Femenina (2016)
- 2nd Giro Toscana (2018)
- 3rd Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (2018)
- 3rd Geraardsbergen-Gooik (2017)
- 3rd Navarra Elite Classics (2020)
With a background on the track – where she won two European titles in the points race – Confalonieri brought speed, positioning and tactical awareness to the road. She became a valued lead-out and support rider, often pointing to Elisa Balsamo’s 2021 World Championship victory as the most memorable day of her career, even though the win was not hers.
Looking ahead
Confalonieri leaves Uno-X with two Italians ready to step in – Alessia Vigilia and Laura Tomasi. Both will inherit not only her place in the squad but also the example of professionalism and dependability that she embodied.
Speaking to Bici.pro, she reflected that cycling has given her friendships around the world and the chance to see the sport grow rapidly. Now she plans to continue working within the Fiamme Oro sporting group, staying close to the sport even without racing.
From her early days as a teenager in 2012 through to her final season in 2025, Confalonieri has been part of a transformative era in women’s cycling, and bows out still able to compete at the highest level.
