Bob Jungels will retire from professional cycling at the end of the 2026 season, bringing to a close a career that has included a Monument victory, Grand Tour stage wins and more than a decade at the highest level of the sport.
The 33-year-old Luxembourger announced his decision on Tuesday evening, saying that after 15 years as a professional he is ready to move into a new phase of his life.
“After 15 years as a professional cyclist, I am officially announcing my retirement from racing at the end of this season,” Jungels wrote.
“Reflecting on my career, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the teammates, team staff, family, friends and of course fans who have supported me every kilometre of the way.”
Jungels is currently riding for Netcompany INEOS and remains under contract through the end of 2026. He joined the team at the start of 2025 after spells with RadioShack-Leopard, Trek Factory Racing, Quick-Step, AG2R Citroën and Bora-Hansgrohe. His move to INEOS was originally confirmed on a two-year deal covering the 2025 and 2026 seasons, with ProCyclingUK covering Bob Jungels’ move to INEOS when the transfer was announced.
Liège-Bastogne-Liège stands as Jungels’ biggest one-day victory
The defining one-day result of Jungels’ career came at Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2018.
Riding for Quick-Step Floors, Jungels attacked alone on the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons and held off the chase all the way to Liège, taking one of the biggest victories ever achieved by a Luxembourg rider.
It was an emphatic demonstration of the qualities that defined Jungels at his best. He combined time-trial power with climbing ability and the endurance to sustain long attacks, making him one of the most versatile riders in the peloton during his peak years.
That Monument experience remained part of his value even late in his career. Jungels was still part of INEOS’ squad for the men’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2026, where he provided experience around the team’s younger and more explosive options.
He followed his 2018 Liège victory with another major one-day success at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne in 2019, again winning through a long-range move rather than waiting for a conventional sprint.
Jungels was also a major Grand Tour rider
Jungels’ career was never defined exclusively by one-day racing.
He twice won the young rider classification at the Giro d’Italia, taking the white jersey in 2016 and 2017, and also won a Giro stage in 2017. During that period he was one of the most promising stage-race riders in the peloton and finished inside the top 10 overall at the Giro.
His later Grand Tour career increasingly shifted towards stage hunting and team duties, but he still produced one of the standout victories of his career at the 2022 Tour de France.
Jungels attacked from the breakaway on Stage 9 to Châtel and rode solo for more than 60 kilometres before holding off the chasing Thibaut Pinot to take his first Tour stage victory.
That win came after a difficult period in which injuries and health problems had interrupted the form that made him one of the strongest all-rounders of his generation.
He continued to feature in major Grand Tours after that, including the 2024 Tour de France with Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, where he formed part of the support structure around Primož Roglič.
Final seasons with INEOS
Jungels joined INEOS on a two-year deal covering the 2025 and 2026 seasons, with the team valuing his experience, power and ability to support leaders across stage races and one-day events.
His role increasingly became one of support rather than outright leadership, although he continued to take opportunities when race situations allowed.
That versatility remained visible throughout 2026. Jungels formed part of INEOS’ line-ups for races including the Tour de Romandie, La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
He was also most recently in action at the Czech Tour, where INEOS’ young American Andrew August won the overall classification after taking two uphill stage victories. August has since confirmed that he will leave the team at the end of the season to join Pinarello Q36.5 on a three-year deal.
For Jungels, that Czech Tour appearance came only days before he publicly confirmed that the current season will be his last.
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Photo Credit: Getty
Jungels says cycling shaped who he is
His retirement announcement focused as much on the people around him as the results.
“Professional cycling has truly shaped who I am today,” Jungels wrote. “I am grateful for the opportunities and proud of what I have achieved on the world stage.”
There was also a clear indication that retirement from racing will not mean stepping away from professional life altogether.
“I am very excited about what lies ahead,” he added. “I am eager to apply the same discipline and passion to the next phase of my career in business. I look forward to sharing these new ventures with you soon.”
Jungels signed off simply: “See you out there.”
One of Luxembourg’s most successful riders of his generation
Jungels leaves professional racing with an unusually varied palmarès.
Few riders of his generation have combined a Monument victory, wins at both the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France, repeated national titles, strong Grand Tour GC performances and victory in a northern Classic such as Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne.
His strongest years made him difficult to categorise. Jungels could climb well enough to compete for Grand Tour classifications, time trial at an elite level and attack from distance in major one-day races, before later reinventing himself as an experienced domestique and breakaway option.
That versatility also explains why INEOS brought him into the team for the final two seasons of his career. When his signing was announced, ProCyclingUK noted the value of his experience across Grand Tours, stage races and the Classics in its report on the move.
The 2026 season will now provide the final races of that career. After 15 years in the professional peloton, one of Luxembourg’s most accomplished riders is preparing to stop racing and begin what he describes as his next chapter.
