'It is a journey I am damn proud of' – Michael Woods announces retirement after 12 years of sacrifice and suffering

Canada's Michael Woods has announced he will retire at the end of the 2025 season, citing the dangers, suffering and sacrifice of 12 years in the peloton, as the reasons behind his decision.

"As they say, though, all good things must come to an end," Woods announced via his Israel-Premier Tech team, hinting he will continue to compete but in a different way.

"I still have big ambitions and plans for the coming years that will involve exploring new arenas in endurance sports (I’ve got some epic plans, so stay tuned for these). But I have made the decision to retire from professional road cycling at the end of this season."

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Woods is expected to enjoy an emotional farewell in the final months of the 2025 season.

He will next race at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec and the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal before perhaps riding the World Championships and some final European races.

Woods wrote a revealing blog during this year's Tour de France, often highlighting the dangers and demands of professional racing. At 38 and after 12 years of accepting the growing demands and risk of the sport, he has realised he has had enough.

He has suffered several crashes and injuries that exacerbated his concerns. He fractured his collarbone in March this year and then was forced to abandon the Tour de Suisse with a lung infection as he tried to find his best form for the Tour de France.

"As lucky as I have been to do this job, it also has its downsides. I have highlighted over the Tour, in this blog, that cycling is a ludicrously dangerous sport," Woods said.

"I am now 11 years deep into doing this sport as a profession, and another two as an amateur. The toll it has taken on my health has been significant, and the time I have spent away from my family has been long.

"Being a father, in particular, has shown me how at odds being one of the best riders in the world is with being a good dad. Unlike most sports, pro cycling, due to its extensive calendar, is a job that requires unending commitment.

"For the past five years, I have avoided giving my kids kisses when I pick them up from school in an attempt to prevent getting sick before a race. That is strange. More often than not, I sleep in another room, separate from my family, in an effort to optimize my sleep. Every aspect of my life has been examined and studied to maximize my ability to ride a bike. That all-encompassing pursuit I have loved and have no regrets doing, but it is something that can only be sustained for so long."

From a world class runner to life as a WorldTour rider

Woods was a world class runner and only began to race bikes aged 25 but overcame his late entry to the sport, following a fast track on how to ride in the peloton and race successfully at WorldTour level.

He rose through the Continental ranks to join the Cannondale WorldTour team in 2016. He went on to win 16 races, including stages at the Vuelta a España in 2018, 2020 and 2024, a stage at the 2023 Tour de France. His aggressive style of racing meant he was competitive in hilly Classics and was second in the 2018 Liège–Bastogne–Liège and third at the tough 2018 World Championships in Innsbruck, Austria. He was proud to become the Canadian national champion in the summer of 2024.

"I thought, 'I was once one of the best runners in the world—why can’t I be one of the best cyclists in the world?'" Woods said.

"This maximal focus has taken me to winning a bronze medal at the World Championships, second place at a monument, and a stage victory at the world’s biggest bike race. Considering I started this sport at 25 years old, on a $1,000 bike gifted to me by my parents, knowing nothing about it, is insane.

"Through an incredible amount of support from many people, I was able to realize that goal. I managed to become one of the best cyclists in the world, and it is a journey I am damn proud of."

Woods thanked his wife, long-time coach Paulo Saldanha, the Ottawa cycling community, team manager Jonathan Vaughters and many others for helping him during his journey in the sport.

"There was a time in my life when I would lie in bed at night, staring up at the ceiling, thinking, 'What have I done? Where did I go wrong?' To go from that place to where I am today, I feel eternally grateful," Woods explained.

"So, to all the people who have helped me along the way—whether it was a simple encouraging message, cheering me on from the side of the road, or individuals like Nick Vipond and Kevin Field, who didn’t burst into laughter when I told them I wanted to make the Olympics in 2016, or Paulo and Sylvan, the two people who changed the trajectory of my entire life—I want to say thank you. Thank you for it all."