¡Adiós!

[Samu Cuenca]

Steels forced to retire after his crash at the Six-Day in Gent.
Though, I can't figure out whether it's because of the injuries substained in the crash, or because being injured meant he could't really go prove himself to potential future teams.

His former teammate Declercq has had to retire as well.

 

[Salvarani]

Bakelants announces retirement. Article on main page.

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Sascha Modolo “Thank you cycling, it was nice and I will miss you….”

as reported in italiano here: https://cyclingpro.net/spaziociclis...grazie-ciclismo-e-stato-bello-e-mi-mancherai/

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

Sean Bennett retires.

 

[Bye Bye Bicycle]

Sean Bennett retires.

What a missed opportunity for a forum stir-up! I would have written "S. Bennett retires".

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Sascha Modolo “Thank you cycling, it was nice and I will miss you….”

as reported in italiano here: https://cyclingpro.net/spaziociclis...grazie-ciclismo-e-stato-bello-e-mi-mancherai/

A shame to see how this guys career came to an end. What an exciting sprinter he was for a while

 

[Roku]

Also Gavin Mannion, Damien Monier and Sander Armee.

 

[King Of The Wolds]

Scott Thwaites has retired.

 

[Squire]

Also Gavin Mannion, Damien Monier and Sander Armee.

Has the distinction of winning a stage of the best edition of a grand tour ever, and never doing anything noteworthy before or after.

 

[tobydawq]

Has the distinction of winning a stage of the best edition of a grand tour ever, when never doing anything noteworthy before or after.

Yeah, it's quite astonishing that he was still active up to now. I saw his name on a start list a couple of months ago and thought, "surely not?!".

 

[Roku]

He became somewhat of an icon in the Japanese cycling calendar, alongside Thomas Lebas. Both of them have been riding there for more than a decade.

 

[Skijumper Roglic fan]

Bakelants announces retirement. Article on main page.

Still cannot believe this. He rode a decent season in 2022. Plus, his stage victory in 2022‘s Tour de Wallonnie should have been reason enough for Intermarche or every other WT team to offer him a contract for 2023.

Cycling is crazy, sometimes. How is it possible that you win a stage at the Tour de Wallonnie in mid 2022, and nevertheless have to retire at the end of 2022 - because you don‘t get offered a new contract?

Bakelants would have been an enormously important road captain for Girmay. Sad that this is not gonna happen now.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Cycling is crazy, sometimes. How is it possible that you win a stage at the Tour de Wallonnie in mid 2022, and nevertheless have to retire at the end of 2022 - because you don‘t get offered a new contract?

Because Backelandts himself decided to retire

 

[Wvv]

Because Backelandts himself decided to retire

Not entirely true.

 

[RedheadDane]

Not entirely true.

From what I understand, he took the decision to retire because he never really recovered from that shortening crash in Lombardia a few years ago. So it wasn't because he couldn't get a contract.

 

[Roku]

He wanted to stay at Wanty. He was annoyed when he wasn't offered an extension.

Then, he allegedly had an offer from Bingoal (at least it was rumoured, and he kind of confirmed he had contact with some teams) that wasn't attractive enough. He probably didn't want to settle for a low paycheck after a very nice WT career.

He was an interesting rider, usually in breaks, good punch and ability for hills / mid mountain parcours. He had already achieved and probably surpassed his peak, but he certainly could have achieved more without that horrific crash.

His final year was quite nice with his final win and a good Vuelta (far from his best years, but still active in breaks with decent performances and valuable support to Meintjes). A good way to retire from pro cycling.

 

[Squire]

He was an interesting rider, usually in breaks, good punch and ability for hills / mid mountain parcours. He had already achieved and probably surpassed his peak, but he certainly could have achieved more without that horrific crash.

Bakelants was seen as perhaps the brightest young talent in the world of cycling at one point, after he won l'Avenir and LBL U23 in 2008, and had a string of other impressive results. Granted, he was 22 when he tore apart the U23 calendar, but that didn't matter that much back then. The entire top 6 of l'Avenir in 2008 were all born in the same year.

Amazing how many notable retirements there has been at the end of the 2022 season.

 

[tobydawq]

Amazing how many notable retirements there has been at the end of the 2022 season.

Number of riders to retire from the pro peloton who were in the top 100 of active riders with most wins at the end of their final season:

2016: 15
2017: 11
2018: 11
2019: 11
2020: 8
2021: 6
2022: 18

If we go by top 50 it's:

2016: 8 (Cancellara, Purito, Bos, Chicchi, Hutarovich, Brown, Fédrigo, Ciolek)
2017: 7 (Boonen, Contador, Voeckler, Napolitano, Farrar, Samu, Vicioso)
2018: 4 (Chavanel, Cunego, Gerrans, (Italian) Pozzato)
2019: 5 (Kittel, Bennati, Guardini, S Dumoulin, Plaza)
2020: 3 (Albasini, Ventoso, Benfatto)
2021: 3 (Greipel, T Martin, D Martin)
2022: 7 (Valverde, Gilbert, Nibali, Modolo, Colbrelli, Visconti, Porte)

 

[tobydawq]

Another way to measure could be number of major wins (I'll also be counting OGRR here as it's my list, my rules) retiring each year:

2016: 14 (Cancellara x 7, Purito x 2, Goss, Hesjedal, Vansummeren, Ciolek, Zaugg)
2017: 18 (Contador x 9 (come at me), Boonen x 8, Samu)
2018: 7 (Cunego x 4, Gerrans x 2, Pozzato)
2019: 3 (Devolder x 2, Hayman)
2020: 0
2021: 3 (D Martin x 2, Aru)
2022: 23 (Nibali x 7, Valverde x 6, Gilbert x 6, Terpstra x 2, Colbrelli, T Dumoulin)

No wonder this feels like an ending of an era.

 

[Squire]

Another way to measure could be number of major wins (I'll also be counting OGRR here as it's my list, my rules) retiring each year:

2016: 14 (Cancellara x 7, Purito x 2, Goss, Hesjedal, Vansummeren, Ciolek, Zaugg)
2017: 18 (Contador x 9 (come at me), Boonen x 8, Samu)
2018: 7 (Cunego x 4, Gerrans x 2, Pozzato)
2019: 3 (Devolder x 2, Hayman)
2020: 0
2021: 3 (D Martin x 2, Aru)
2022: 23 (Nibali x 7, Valverde x 6, Gilbert x 6, Terpstra x 2, Colbrelli, T Dumoulin)

No wonder this feels like an ending of an era.

The numbers that bring other years close to 2022 are a bit inflated (two riders contributing almost all big wins in 2017 and several lesser riders doing the same in 2016). So 2022 looks even more 'impressive' if you consider those things.

What's more, there are several very notable retirements that are not picked up by your lists. I'd argue that all of Rebellin (RIP), Rolland (Alpe d'Huez win), Zakarin (mythical), Dowsett (hour record), Nieve (epic breakaways and a period of somehow placing exactly 10th in tons of GTs) are equally or more legendary than Bos, Chicchi, Brown, Fédrigo, Napolitano, Farrar, Vicioso, Guardini, S. Dumoulin, Plaza, Albasini, Ventoso, Benfatto and (arguably) Vansummeren and Zaugg, who all made it into one of your list. And back in 2008, one would definitely have thought Bakelants would be on such a list, too. Honourable mention to Henao as well, who at one point had no equal except Purito on short walls.

 

[tobydawq]

Cyril Gautier says au revoir.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Cyril Gautier says au revoir.

I honestly thought he had already retired with the other B&B riders before I read the news yesterday.

 

[Roku]

Szymon Rekita and Davide Villella retire. Two riders that, at their respective levels, still had results to offer.

 

[tobydawq]

Szymon Rekita and Davide Villella retire. Two riders that, at their respective levels, still had results to offer.

I have never heard about the former.

 

[DNP-Old]

Nooooooo, Amaro Antunes retires.