Belgian cyclist Kim de Baat, who became the national road champion last year, has decided to retire from the sport due to physical problems. The 32-year-old has been racing for 26 years and recently discovered that she suffers from overtraining syndrome, a condition that requires a long recovery period.
De Baat announced her retirement on social media, acknowledging that the decision may come as a surprise to many. “After 26 years of racing, it is time to say goodbye,” she said. “I know this is unexpected for a lot of people because I’m really passionate about the bike. But my body got tired.”
The rider from the Fenix-Deceuninck team will participate in her last race next Monday in the derny criterium in ‘s-Gravenwezel. In her farewell message, De Baat expressed gratitude to her family, friends, and fellow cyclist Sanne Cant. “And Sanne, with whom I had the best year of my career,” De Baat said. “We have been able to share our passion together, and I am happy that she will be by my side in the future, whatever I do.”
Aside from the Belgian national championships, De Baat’s other UCI level victory came at Dwars door de Westhoek in 2012. Over the years, she has raced for Boels-Dolmans (2013), Parkhotel Valkenburg (2014), Lensworld (2015-2017), Doltcini (2018-2019), Ciclotel (2020), Dubai Police (2021) and Fenix-Deceuninck (2022-2023).
