Former British time trial champion Lizzie Holden has announced she will retire from professional cycling at the end of the 2025 season, bringing to a close a career that has spanned nearly a decade. The UAE Team ADQ rider said her decision followed “a difficult few years” marked by injury and a loss of confidence on the bike.
Holden confirmed the news in a post on Instagram, revealing that this week’s Tour of Chongming Island in China will be her final race. The decision comes just weeks after a serious crash at the Simac Ladies Tour left her with two broken ribs, a fractured collarbone and a punctured lung. She spent time in intensive care before making a determined return to competition.
“Well, a little earlier than expected to be back racing… but I was extra motivated (stubborn) for this comeback, as it will also mark the end of my cycling career,” she wrote. “So much to be thankful for during my career and too many people to thank in a single post. I’ll be forever grateful for having been able to call cycling my ‘job’ for so many years, and I’m sure I will look back in years to come feeling proud of everything I’ve achieved along the way.”
Born on the Isle of Man, Holden first made her mark in British cycling as a teenager under the guidance of Dot Tilbury, who also coached Mark Cavendish in his early years. She joined her first UCI team, Drops, in 2017 and spent six seasons in Continental-level squads before stepping up to the WorldTour in 2023 with UAE Team ADQ.
Her biggest victory came that same year when she claimed the elite women’s time trial title at the British National Road Championships, her only professional win. Other career highlights include fourth overall at the 2022 Lotto Belgium Tour, seventh at the Thüringen Ladies Tour in the same year, and third in the 2019 British road race championship.
Reflecting on the challenges of recent seasons, Holden wrote: “After a difficult few years, losing a lot of confidence on the bike, and finally a crash resulting in a broken collarbone, numerous broken ribs and a punctured lung (to really put a nail in the coffin) it feels like the right time to move on to a new chapter. I don’t know exactly what will be next yet, but [I’m] feeling a mix of scared and excited to see what else is out there.”
Holden was also part of the 2022 Le Col-Wahoo team that lined up for the inaugural edition of the revived Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, an experience she later described as one of the most significant moments of her career.
Her final appearance at the Tour of Chongming Island will close a journey defined by resilience, professionalism and quiet determination, qualities that made her a respected figure in the peloton both in Britain and abroad.
