The end of the 2026 road season has brought several notable professional careers to a close. Some riders have already completed their final races, while others announced earlier in the year that they would stop when the season finished. The distinction matters: a rider changing teams or running out of contract is not automatically retiring.
Among the confirmed farewells are Grand Tour stage winners, former national champions and experienced road captains who helped shape their teams over many seasons. This guide covers the most notable confirmed departures, explains when their final races took place and links to our more detailed career retrospectives.
Which professional cyclists are retiring in 2026?
| Rider | Final team | Retirement status | Notable achievement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pello Bilbao | Bahrain Victorious | Final race: Il Lombardia, 10 October | Tour de France and Giro d’Italia stage winner |
| Bauke Mollema | Lidl-Trek | Final race: Il Lombardia, 10 October | 2019 Il Lombardia winner |
| Ion Izagirre | Cofidis | Final race: Il Lombardia, 10 October | Tour de France stage winner and stage-race specialist |
| Tiffany Cromwell | Canyon SRAM | Final race: Gravel Worlds, 10 October | Omloop Het Nieuwsblad winner and longstanding road captain |
| Elena Cecchini | Team SD Worx-Protime | Final race: Eneco Tour Women, 18 October | Multiple Italian road and time-trial titles |
| Amanda Spratt | Lidl-Trek | Retirement announced for end of 2026 | Australian road champion and World Championships medallist |
| Steven Kruijswijk | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | 2026 farewell season | Tour de France podium finisher |
Photo Credit: GettyMen’s cycling retirements in 2026
Pello Bilbao: a dependable Grand Tour rider who could also win stages
Pello Bilbao finished his career with Bahrain Victorious at Il Lombardia in October. The Basque rider was often strongest in difficult, selective races, where endurance and judgement mattered as much as an explosive sprint. His stage victory at the 2023 Tour de France, achieved during a difficult period for his team following the death of Gino Mäder, was among his most memorable results.
Bilbao also won stages of the Giro d’Italia and remained competitive in demanding one-day races late into his career. Our Pello Bilbao career retrospective looks at the results and the role he played across 16 seasons.
Bauke Mollema: a Monument winner goes out at Il Lombardia
Bauke Mollema selected Il Lombardia for his final professional appearance, seven years after winning the Italian Monument with a solo attack. The Dutch rider also won Tour de France stages in 2017 and 2021 and a Vuelta a España stage in 2013. His consistency in week-long races and Grand Tours made him a regular presence in the leading group long before his later success in breakaways.
Mollema raced professionally for 19 seasons, with the last 12 spent in the Trek structure. Returning to Lombardia for his farewell gave an appropriate end to a career defined by hard racing and an ability to take opportunities when more heavily favoured riders hesitated.
Ion Izagirre: a final Lombardia despite a fractured wrist
Ion Izagirre’s retirement nearly ended with an injury rather than a final race. A training crash left him with a broken wrist shortly before Il Lombardia, but Cofidis confirmed that he would take part, and the team subsequently reported that he completed his last professional appearance on 10 October. That detail is important: early reports that the crash had already ended his career were overtaken by his return to the start line.
The former Basque Country and Tour de Pologne overall winner also took Tour de France stage victories. Read our report on Izagirre’s Lombardia farewell.
Steven Kruijswijk: the end of a long spell with one organisation
Steven Kruijswijk spent his top-level career in the Rabobank and Visma team structure, becoming one of the Netherlands’ most recognisable Grand Tour riders. He finished on the Tour de France podium in 2019 and later became an experienced support rider in mountain stages. Team Visma | Lease a Bike marked his 2026 farewell in a behind-the-scenes film around his final Vuelta a España.
Women’s cycling retirements in 2026
Tiffany Cromwell: from Classics winner to gravel and road captaincy
Tiffany Cromwell ended her professional racing career at the UCI Gravel World Championships in Western Australia on 10 October, after concluding her road racing at the Philadelphia Cycling Classic earlier in the season. The Australian combined her own one-day victories with years of support work for some of the most successful squads in women’s cycling.
Her career encompassed Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Giro d’Italia Women stage wins, the rise of the modern Women’s WorldTour and a late move into top-level gravel competition. She remained influential in the peloton even when she was no longer her team’s designated leader. Read the full Tiffany Cromwell retrospective.
Elena Cecchini: a champion who became a crucial road captain
Elena Cecchini rode her final professional race at the Eneco Tour Women on 18 October. She had announced that 2026 would be her last season, having extended her time with Team SD Worx-Protime for one further year. The Italian won three consecutive national road race titles between 2014 and 2016 and two national individual time-trial championships in 2018 and 2019.
In later seasons, her work organising the team in the peloton was as important as her own results. Riders and staff marked her farewell at the end of the Eneco Tour, where she finished a long career as one of the squad’s most trusted helpers. Our Elena Cecchini retrospective covers that change of role and her major victories.
Amanda Spratt: the Australian whose farewell was announced early
Amanda Spratt announced in January that the 2026 season would be her last. The experienced Australian was a national champion, a World Championships medallist and an important figure at Lidl-Trek, where she contributed as both a leader and a teammate. An end-of-season retirement announcement should not be confused with a particular final-race date unless that appearance has been confirmed.
Spratt’s achievements span many seasons of women’s racing, from the years before the Women’s WorldTour to the current depth of international competition. Her decision also illustrates a wider change in the peloton as long-serving leaders hand over responsibility to a younger generation.
Does being out of contract mean a rider has retired?
No. A contract expiring at the end of December does not establish retirement. Some riders are negotiating with new teams, others move to lower divisions, and some have not announced any decision. For the confirmed deals, see our 2027 men’s transfer hub and 2026 women’s season review. Riders are added to this retirement guide only where an announcement or an acknowledged final appearance supports the classification.
Which 2026 retirement mattered most?
There is no single answer, because these riders made different contributions. Mollema was a Monument winner, Bilbao and Izagirre were accomplished Grand Tour and stage-race riders, and Cromwell, Cecchini and Spratt helped shape the working culture of women’s professional teams. Their retirement closes several chapters of the sport at once, from the older men’s peloton to the development of today’s Women’s WorldTour.
Last updated: 21 October 2026. This is a selected guide to confirmed retirements, not a complete list of every rider leaving professional racing. Further names will be added as their status is verified.
