Pro road and gravel cycling veteran Peter Stetina will retire from competition after the 2026 season, calling it his "Farewell Tour" for racing bikes. He used his social media and sponsor news channels to confirm that after taking part in a select few gravel events next year, he will move into new roles with several cycling-related brands, including work as a coach for aspiring stars of off-road racers.
"I am hanging up my professional racing wheels in the coming season," Stetina shared on The Feed's Insider blog.
"In 2026, I will race a limited 'Farewell Tour' of the gravel races that I enjoy the most, sometimes with good fitness and sometimes just to enjoy the scene. I’ll dive deeper with select partners, utilizing all I’ve learned in my career to help brands and other riders succeed on their own terms. If Privateering has taught me anything, it’s that we’re only bound by the limits of our creativity.
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"Retirement doesn’t have to be a goodbye from the space entirely. I love this Gravel too much to leave completely and am motivated to continue to foster this discipline in new ways."
His decision was made public across a week of in-person film screenings in California for his 'Feeding the Rat' project, which follows his summer journey, made twice, to set a new record to conquer Mount Washington, the highest peak in the northeastern US. His father, Dale Stetina, held the record time, 57:41, for 17 years in climbing the 12.2km (7.5 miles) multi-surfaced road, with an average of 12.6% gradient and pitches over 20%. Stetina said it is one of the hardest climbs in the world.
Now 38 years old, Pete Stetina was content to conclude a diverse career where he showcased his climbing abilities on the stiffest ascents around the planet across 10 years on the WorldTour, having ridden in the Pyrenees, Alps and Dolomites in all three Grand Tours, as well as the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountain climbs of former US stage races.
Since changing to gravel racing the last seven seasons, he's conquered elevation gain with victories at Belgian Waffle Ride California and The Traka 360. He won two gravel races in 2025 - Low Gap in the Grasshopper Adventure Series, Lost and Found in the Gravel Earth Series, and was second at BWR California.
Next year, he plans to take part in a variety of US races, including another BWR California, where he has won three times. In an exclusive interview with Cycling Weekly, he also named the Mid South, Oregon Trail Gravel, SBT GRVL, as well as The Growler at Levi's Gran Fondo as competitions. Off the bike, he still organises Stetina's Paydirt off-road race, which will be on May 16, 2026.
'Feeding the Rat'
It was not all about conquering climbs and massive elevation gains on washed-out dirt roads on his second racing career, however. Stetina carved a path for off-road racing outside of mountain biking and led the way for 'privateers' to earn a living. With Canyon as his long-time bike sponsor and unwavering support from 'Big Tall' Wayne Smith as his mechanic, Stetina led by example in the new realm of gravel.
He was done with seasons pursuing in gravel series like Life Time Grand Prix, Gravel Earth Series and the BWR Quad-Tripel, however, and the new record and personal best time on Mt Washington became Stetina's goal in 2025.
What makes Mt Washington so tough? Besides variable temperatures, even in summer, and ever-present winds, the climbing is similar to that of Mont Ventoux with its relentless steepness.
The 7.5-mile stretch of pavement winds over 4,678 feet of elevation gain to the top of Mount Washington in New Hampshire. In the official race up the mountain in mid-August, the 52nd edition of the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb, former road pro and New England native Ian Boswell bettered his friend Stetina by one minute, 21 seconds to establish the new course record, all times reset in 2022 when the final dirt section was paved - Boswell's time 50:15.
In mid-September, Stetina returned on a solo effort, local Auto Road officials granting him a small window one day for private access to the road. An official clocked him at 50:30, still 12 seconds short of Boswell's new record and 1:06 off the historical record.
"I HAD to empty the tank on my own terms and be proud of my effort," he wrote on Instagram.
"'Feeding the Rat' is about satisfying an inner hunger—a restless and persistent urge to test oneself, seek purpose, and experience life’s heightened sensations beyond the ordinary routine," Stetina explained on his social media.
The 15-minute film, 'Feeding the Rat' is available now on the YouTube channels of Canyon and Wahoo Fitness.
The effort Stetina put into a single climb was as deep as preparations for a three-week Grand Tour. In the end, he said he was at peace with the effort and result. However, the New Hampshire achievement was not the end. He's got another year in his heart and head, and just hopes the legs go along for the ride.
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