All the WorldTour cyclists retiring in 2026

Cyclist
All the WorldTour cyclists retiring in 2026

As the 2026 season rumbles on, it’s worth making a note of the riders for whom this is their last hurrah. With a number of big name riders hanging up their cleats this year, from Grand Tour champions to loyal domestiques, be sure to enjoy their exploits while you can.

While a few riders, such as Simon Yates, have already called it a day this year, and others – such as Chris Froome –have drifted into the unknown, we still have a few months of racing left with these legends of the sport.

Nairo Quintana (Movistar)

Nairo Quintana will end his 16-year professional career at the 2026 Vuelta a España. The Colombian announced the news prior to the Volta a Catalunya in March, saying, ‘It is over, and I am going home to my family.’

Catalunya was the scene of Quintana’s breakthrough in the mountains, where he topped the climber’s classification a year after winning the Tour de l’Avenir in 2010. He joined Movistar in 2012 and would spend the majority of his career with the Spanish outfit, winning the Giro d’Italia in 2014 and the Vuelta in 2016.

He moved to ProTeam level in 2020 with Arkéa-Samsic with whom he raced to sixth overall at the 2022 Tour de France, but a positive test for Tramadol (at the time it was only banned by the UCI for medical reasons) would scratch his result from the standings. He was let go from the team and spent a year away from professional cycling, but returned in 2023 with Movistar, though hasn’t had much of an impact since.

• Retirement date: 13th September 2026

Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious)

Basque cyclist Pello Bilbao has been an incredibly consistent rider for Bahrain Victorious. The 36-year-old has twice notched fifth places at the Giro d’Italia (2020, 2022) and finished sixth at the Tour de France in 2023.

One of his most emotional results came in his stage win at the Tour that season. Bilbao won the sprint from the breakaway on Stage 10 and dedicated the victory to his late teammate Gino Mäder, who had died at the Tour de Suisse a month prior.

He looks to be going out on a strong note, having ridden to a set of sixth places at Clásica Jaén, Itzulia Basque Country and at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and fourth at Eschborn-Frankfurt.

Bilbao is currently scheduled to ride the Tour de France, so expect him to feature prominently in breakaways.

• Retirement date: End of 2026

Bauke Mollema (Lidl-Trek)

Dutch rider Bauke Mollema became somewhat of a cult hero over his career, though perhaps less for his racing and more for his distaste for his SRAM groupset at the 2019 Giro.

But the loyal Trek man has had an incredible career spanning over a decade that included brought two Tour stages, a Vuelta stage, and – after Juan Jose Cobo was banned – third overall at the 2011 Vuelta, when he also won the points classification. He also took one-day race victories including the Clásica de San Sebastián and Trofeo Laigueglia, but perhaps his finest day on the bike came at Il Lombardia in 2019, when he launched a solo attack on the penultimate climb to take a memorable Monument victory.

• Retirement date: End of 2026

Amanda Spratt (Lidl-Trek)

Amanda Spratt is stepping away from cycling having spent almost her entire career with Jayco-AlUla, though she finished it off with a four-year stint at Lidl-Trek.

‘Spratty’ has always thrived racing in Australia, winning both the Australian Championships Road Race and the Women’s Tour Down Under three times. She won a silver medal for Australia at the World Championships in 2018, has several GC podiums to her name at the Giro d’Italia, and has been a key road captain throughout the years. Her presence will be missed but she has no doubt inspired the generation of strong Australian riders we’re seeing coming through now.

Spratt will return to the Giro this year where she could well get another good result with the Colle delle Finestre on the menu.

• Retirement date: End of 2026

Mavi García (UAE Team ADQ)

Mavi García is such a cornerstone of the women’s peloton that, despite her being 42 years of age, it still feels premature to be writing about her retirement.

The Spaniard has been enjoying some of her best results to date in the final years of her career, becoming the oldest stage winner at the Tour de France Femmes and racing to a bronze medal in the World Championships Road Race in 2025, and opening 2026 with a second place at the women’s Tour Down Under. She could well go out with a bang as part of a UAE Team ADQ squad who are having their best season yet.

• Retirement date: End of 2026

Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious)

Italian Damiano Caruso is another who has loved life on home roads, with his palmarès boasting a second place at the Giro in 2021, a fourth place in 2023 and a fifth place in 2025. The 38-year-old, who turned professional back in 2009, also has a Vuelta stage win and GC podiums at Tirreno-Adriatico, the Tour de Suisse and the Tour de Romandie to his name.

Caruso was handed a one-year back-dated suspension for a doping infraction that occurred prior to him turnin…