Simon Yates (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) has announced he is retiring from professional cycling, bringing a 13-year professional career to a close.
"This may come as a surprise to many, but it is not a decision I have made lightly. 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 said in a statement.
Yates reflected on a career that spanned track racing at the Manchester Velodrome, Grand Tour victories, and Olympic representation, describing both successes and setbacks as defining moments.
"You gave me the opportunity to rewrite my history, and through trust and belief, we did it together," he told Visma staff and team-mates, referring to his move to the Dutch squad for 2025.
Yates’ 2025 season with Visma was a huge success for the Brit. After leaving the Jayco-AlUla set-up he had represented for a decade, he claimed the maglia rosa at the Giro seven years after his collapse on the Colle delle Finestre in 2018. Yates won the race by 3 minutes 56 seconds over Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), securing overall victory without taking a stage, the first rider to do so at the Giro since 2015.
At the Giro route presentation in December, he expressed excitement at the prospect of returning to the Giro in 2026 as reigning champion – establishing an expectation which adds to the surprise of his retirement announcement.
Visma sports director Grischa Niermann paid tribute to Yates, describing him as "an exceptional climber who always delivered when it mattered most.”
“In the Giro, he peaked at a moment when almost no one expected him to be able to win any more," Niermann said in a team release.
Over his career, Yates has taken two Grand Tour overall victories, the 2018 Vuelta a España and 2025 Giro d’Italia, along with 11 Grand Tour stage wins and titles at Tirreno–Adriatico and the AlUla Tour.
“I step away from professional cycling with deep pride and a sense of peace,” Yates concluded. “This chapter has given me more than I ever imagined.”
Cover image by Zac Williams/SWpix.com
