Giro d’Italia champion Simon Yates announces shock retirement

PARIS – Two-time Grand Tour winner Simon Yates announced on Jan 7 that he was retiring from professional cycling, just seven months after winning the Giro d’Italia.

The news comes after the Briton enjoyed probably the best season of his career, following up his stunning Giro success with a stage victory at the July 2025 Tour de France.

“This may come as a surprise to many, but it is not a decision I have made lightly,” Yates said in a statement released by his team, Visma-Lease a Bike.

“I have been thinking about it for a long time and it now feels like the right moment to step away from the sport.”

Yates, 33, shared more than a decade in the peloton with his twin brother Adam, initially together at the Jayco-AlUla team.

He sprang to prominence with a seventh-placed finish at the 2016 Paris-Nice race aged 23 but subsequently tested positive for a banned substance and had a four-month backdated suspension after his team doctor took responsibility for failing to apply for a therapeutic-use exemption.

Months later, he secured his first Grand Tour stage win at the Vuelta a Espana, where he finished an impressive sixth.

Yates’ most dramatic and turbulent season came in 2018. He was dominating the Giro – winning three stages and holding the race leader’s pink jersey – before cracking spectacularly on the imposing Colle delle Finestre climb on the third-from-last stage.

Compatriot Chris Froome stormed to victory as Yates’ hopes evaporated. Ironically, it was on that very climb in 2025 that Yates gained redemption with his decisive move to claim the Giro title.

He bounced back quickly from his painful setback, claiming his first Grand Tour success at La Vuelta later in 2018.

His best Tour de France finish was fourth place in 2023, just behind his brother. He finishes his career with three Tour stage victories, six at the Giro and two at the Vuelta, while he also won the prestigious Tirreno-Adriatico stage race in 2020.

“To my team, Team Visma-Lease a Bike, thank you for your understanding and support of my decision to stop now,” said Yates, who still had a year to run on his contract. I step away from professional cycling with deep pride and a sense of peace.

“While the victories will always stand out, the harder days and setbacks were just as important. They taught me resilience and patience, and made the successes mean even more.

“This chapter has given me more than I ever imagined.”

Visma’s head of racing Grischa Niermann was quoted by the BBC as saying: “(Winning the Giro) was one of the major goals of the season, for us as a team and for Simon personally. The fact that he also went on to win a stage in the Tour de France underlines his class.

“It is a shame that he is stopping now, but he does so at an absolute high point.”

Yates started his career on the track, winning the points race gold medal at the world championships in Minsk in 2013. AFP, REUTERS