Simone Boilard has announced her retirement from professional cycling, with the Canadian rider stepping away from the sport for health reasons after two years of persistent joint pain and uncertainty around her condition.
The 24-year-old confirmed the decision in a personal statement, explaining that she had been dealing with difficult-to-diagnose joint pain since 2024. Boilard said continuing to race had led to compensations that gradually worsened the situation, eventually requiring care and interventions across multiple joints.
Boilard confirms end of professional racing career
Simone Boilard said there was no easy way to share the news, but that her decision had become clear after a long period of health struggles.
“There’s no easy way to say this, so I’ll be direct: I’ve decided to step away from professional cycling for health reasons,” Boilard wrote.
The Canadian explained that the last two years had been marked by “detours, uncertainty, and anxiety” as she worked to understand the source of her pain and find the right medical support.
“Since 2024, I’ve been dealing with persistent joint pain that has been difficult to understand and diagnose,” she said. “Continuing to perform led to compensations that gradually worsened the situation, and I now require care and interventions across multiple joints.”
For a rider still in the early part of her career, the decision is a heavy one. Boilard was part of the Uno-X Mobility structure before re-joining St Michel-Preference Home-Auber 93 for 2026, and had been set to play a role in a season that included major Canadian targets. Her retirement also comes in a period where women’s cycling continues to grow in visibility, making the loss of a young rider to health issues feel particularly sharp. She took 1 career win at the 2023 GP Oetingen.
Earlier autoimmune condition shaped long-term health picture
Boilard also explained that her current situation has to be understood against a wider medical background. Earlier in life, she lived with an autoimmune condition affecting her joints, and she now believes that history, combined with the physical demands of elite cycling, made a long-term professional career unsustainable.
“Earlier in life, I lived with an autoimmune condition affecting my joints,” she wrote. “With that predisposition, combined with the demands of elite sport, I now realise this path was likely not sustainable long term.”
That context makes the decision less about one injury and more about the accumulation of risk. Professional cycling asks the body to absorb high training loads, repeated racing stress, travel and limited recovery windows. For Boilard, the balance had shifted too far towards protecting her health and quality of life.
“At the same time, it makes me even more grateful for the career I was able to build,” she added.
A difficult decision before major Canadian targets
Boilard said the decision was particularly painful because of what had been planned for the season with St Michel-Preference Home-Auber 93. The team had been building towards the World Championships in Montreal and the development of women’s cycling in Canada, giving her retirement extra emotional weight.
“This is a heavy and sad decision, especially considering what we were building this season with Premier Tech, including the World Championships in Montreal and the development of women’s cycling in Canada,” she wrote.
A home World Championships would have been a major target for any Canadian rider, but especially for one with Boilard’s background and profile. Instead, she steps away before that chapter could unfold on the road. It is another reminder that behind the public rhythm of Women’s WorldTour racing, careers can be shaped just as much by health, recovery and timing as by form and results.
Team support helped shape the decision
Boilard placed strong emphasis on the support she received from her team, saying that St Michel-Preference Home-Auber 93 had put her well-being ahead of performance pressure.
“I want to highlight how remarkable my team’s support has been,” she wrote. “In a sport where performance often comes first, they chose to prioritize the person, my health, and my well-being. That is rare, and I’m deeply thankful.”
That detail is significant. Retirement for health reasons can leave riders feeling isolated, particularly when the wider rhythm of the sport keeps moving. Boilard’s statement suggests that the team gave her space to make the decision properly rather than forcing a rushed return or pushing her through pain.
She also thanked the people and organisations who had supported her throughout her career.
“Your support has meant more than you know,” she wrote. “A special thank you to those who have been closely by my side over the years.”
Leaving competition but not the sport
Boilard made clear that this is not a complete goodbye to cycling. While she is stepping away from active competition, she remains open to contributing to the sport in other ways.
“I feel at peace, confident this is the right decision moving forward, and open to other ways of contributing to the sport,” she wrote. “I’m stepping away from competition, but my love for it remains. For now, I need to prioritize myself and my health.”
Boilard’s retirement cuts short a career that had already taken her through major European racing and into a role within an ambitious French team. It also arrives at a time when Canadian women’s cycling is building towards one of its most important home moments.
For now, though, the priority is clear. Boilard is choosing long-term health over the uncertainty of continuing to push through a body that could no longer absorb the demands of professional racing.
