Christine Majerus announced that she intends to retire from a 17-year career in professional cycling following the 2024 Olympic Games held in Paris.
The 41-time elite national champion of Luxembourg said that she's given her life to the sport and has decided to select a special moment to hang up her wheels after what will be a remarkable 11 seasons with the powerful Dutch team SD Worx.
"It's good to choose your moment where to stop. I think I've had a pretty nice career and I've tried to keep my level and do my best for the team," said Majerus, who holds 16 time trial titles, 12 cyclocross titles and 13 road race titles.
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"I still have a little personal goal to make it to the Paris Olympics in 2024, which is right next to me, so that would be nice to finish my career at those Olympics, and then I think I have given enough to the cycling world."
Majerus began racing in 2008 and spent the first six years of her career with teams ESGL 93-GSD Gestion and Sengers Ladies Cycling Team, then joined Boels Dolmans in 2014. She has watched the sport grow to now include the Women's WorldTour, two-tier team structure, minimum salaries and live television of the biggest races.
"It's interesting to see how everything developed, quite fast, and linked to how women's cycling developed. Everything became more professional," Majerus said.
"When I started [at Boels Dolmans], it was about trying to become the best team in the world and that was quickly done. The goal changed to staying number one, which was hard work, also because all the other teams stepped up, and it never got easier. We always made it happen. That's a great achievement."
The team became SD Worx in 2021 and it has been consistency in gaining points with wins, podiums and being in the top 10 throughout the season, while also developing up-and-coming talent, that has won them the overall team classifications in the UCI Ranking and the Women's WorldTour for six of the previous seven seasons.
"It's becoming more professional every year and paying attention to all the details. The base of the team always stays a bit the same, the family part, and Danny [Stam] brings in good additions to make the team stronger from year-to-year. SD Worx stepped in as a bigger sponsor, and it's good to have those kinds of sponsors in women's cycling to help young riders to develop," Majerus said.
During her own career, Majerus has become known as one of the best domestiques of all time, often contributing her strengths to wins in the Spring Classics and Grand Tours. She has also won the Boels Ladies Tour and Festival Elsy Jacobs, with multiple podium finishes on the world-class stage.
"Nobody knows how important Christine is in the development of this team. If you can stay for 10 years within a team and do such a great job, as Christine does, everyone knows how much of a good rider and good person that she is," said the team's manager Danny Stam.
"Everyone needs to know, we always speak about the winners, but it's never possible without riders like Christine. She is one of the most important keys to getting your victories done.
"Every year we want to be the number one, but that is not possible without riders like Christine. It is a big compliment to her as a rider and as a person. Thank you, Christine."
