'I don’t feel part of this world anymore' – Marta Cavalli to retire as injuries and comebacks leave Italian climber exhausted

Marta Cavalli has decided to end her nine-year career in professional cycling, admitting a series of crash injuries and a difficult recovery have left her struggling to find the motivation to race on.

Cavalli was given an emotional send-off by her fellow riders at the Tour Cycliste Féminin International de l'Ardèche and confirmed her decision in an emotional post on Instagram.

"Another season has ended, but the flavour it leaves is slightly different," said Cavalli in a translated post on Instagram.

"I can feel the years and years spent chasing dreams and goals and after pouring litres of sweat, grinding kilometres and exceeding my limits over and over, I feel exhausted."

"The last few years have been very difficult due to continuous ups and downs, I have been chasing a condition (fitness) for a long time it has never returned. My legs aren't spinning as hard as I would like them to and the motivation has faded away."

Cavalli was one of the most closely watched riders in the peloton as she headed into the 2022 Tour de France Femmes, as after a season where she won Amstel Gold Race, La Flèche Wallonne and was runner-up at the Giro d'Italia. Her talent was clear to see but a horrible crash on stage 2 brought both her race and run of results to a halt.

Cavalli came back from that injury late in the season but was uncomfortable in the peloton for some time afterwards, and then took some more time away from racing in 2023 to recover from lingering injuries before working her way back to winning form at the CIC-Tour Feminin International des Pyrenees and Tour Cycliste Féminin International de l'Ardèche.

They proved to be the last UCI wins on her palmares as 2024 again delivered considerable challenges. In February she crashed at a training camp and in July she was hit by a car. She raced for just five days that season but was willing to pick herself up and start over again in 2025 as she moved from FDJ-SUEZ to Post Picnic NL.

"I've faced a crossroads many times, but I always chose to stay and get back on the game because giving up never liked me," said Cavalli.

Cavalli started the 2025 season with Setmana Valenciana, and a run of Spring Classics, including Amstel Gold Race and La Flèche Wallonne. While her form of 2022 wasn't on show, there was certainly promise with a 13th at Milan-San Remo Women.

That turned out to be the top result of the season with the latter half of the year giving way to a series of stage races where she struggled to finish.

"After a year with peace of mind I can say I don’t feel part of this world anymore and it’s time to say goodbye to the group because here my work is done," Cavalli wrote on Instagram.

"I don't hide the sadness, but it's that time when it's better to loosen the grip and go chase for more dreams that I have in my drawer."