Johan Price-Pejtersen retires from professional cycling aged 27

Johan Price-Pejtersen has announced his retirement from professional cycling at the age of 27, bringing an early end to the career of one of Denmark’s most accomplished young time-trial riders. The Alpecin-Premier Tech rider revealed his decision in the Danish cycling podcast Forhjulslir, with his contract due to expire at the end of 2026.

“It is a big change, but it is also a decision I made quite a long time ago,” Price-Pejtersen told the podcast, in comments translated from Danish and reported by news agency Ritzau. The decision ends five seasons in the WorldTour, three at Bahrain-Victorious and two with Alpecin.

A difficult final chapter at Alpecin-Premier Tech

Price-Pejtersen said he had struggled mentally during his time with the Belgian team and described a period when training itself had become difficult. For roughly two months, he recalled feeling nauseous whenever he went out to ride, comparing the sensation to having eaten something bad before setting off.

He did not attribute his retirement to a single race or result. His account instead describes a prolonged period in which the demands of professional cycling had become increasingly difficult to manage.

Despite that, Price-Pejtersen completed his first Grand Tour at the 2026 Giro d’Italia. His strongest individual performance came in the stage 10 time-trial to Massa, where he finished seventh, 2 minutes 29 seconds behind winner Filippo Ganna. It would be his only Grand Tour appearance.

From U23 world champion to five seasons in the WorldTour

The Dane was regarded as a major time-trial prospect long before he reached the professional peloton. He became European U23 time-trial champion in 2019 and reclaimed the title in 2021, when he also won the U23 world championship against the clock. Earlier in his career, he had taken a junior world title in the individual pursuit on the track in 2017.

Those results helped earn him a WorldTour contract with Bahrain-Victorious for 2022 after two years at Uno-X. He joined Alpecin-Deceuninck in 2025, staying with the organisation as it became Alpecin-Premier Tech for 2026. Although he delivered strong performances against the clock, including a podium at Chrono des Nations, he never secured a senior professional road victory.

Danish championship controversy became a lengthy dispute

Price-Pejtersen’s 2024 Danish national time-trial championship was overshadowed by a prolonged disciplinary case. He recorded the fastest time but was disqualified for using a cycle path outside the designated race route. The decision was subsequently reversed following an appeal, only for the UCI’s disciplinary process to reinstate the disqualification.

Mattias Skjelmose was ultimately recognised as the 2024 Danish time-trial champion. It was an unusual and frustrating episode for a rider whose strongest discipline had brought him so much success earlier in his career.

His departure adds another name to the list of professional riders retiring at the end of 2026, but at 27 Price-Pejtersen’s decision is notably early. His final season nevertheless included a completed Giro d’Italia and a top-10 finish in one of its key time-trials.