Katie Archibald, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and four-time world champion on the track, has decided to retire from elite-level competition, British Cycling announced on Tuesday.
In a Q&A published by British Cycling, Archibald revealed that a new passion has allowed her the motivation to take the leap to the "real world" of employment.
"I began my first-year training to be a nurse last September, and I've fallen completely in love with the whole thing," Archibald said.
"When I let my friends and teammates know I was retiring from sport, they assumed it was because I wasn't coping doing both.
"The truth is, though, that there's still a lot of 'student' in 'student nurse'. I've had plenty of free time to train, and most of my classmates have jobs and families and commitments more taxing than mine.
"I really want to stress that the nursing training isn't forcing me into retirement. At the same time, this thing that I'm just enamoured with is making me excited for the future, and that makes this transition less scary."
Archibald, 32, quickly made a name for herself after being scouted by British Cycling in 2013, earning a gold medal in the team pursuit squad at the 2014 UCI Track World Championships - one of seven in her career - and was the first Scottish woman to do so.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
She went on to win three world titles in the team pursuit, two in the Madison and two in the Omnium, as well as 21 European titles and gold in the individual pursuit in the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Archibald's first gold at the Olympic Games came in the team pursuit in 2016. She was awarded an MBE for her services to cycling in 2017. In 2021, she added another title in the Madison in Tokyo and won silver in the team pursuit there.
She returned to win gold in the first unified UCI World Championships in her hometown of Glasgow in 2023, but a freak accident prevented her from competing in Paris in 2024 when she broke two bones and tore ligaments in her leg after tripping on a step in her garden.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
After so many years of success and battling against setbacks, Archibald said she was too scared to leave elite cycling until discovering her passion for nursing.
"I just finished my first placement a couple of months ago, and it feels so special being someone people can trust when they need help," Archibald said. "Part of that trust, of course, is knowing that nothing leaves the room unless they choose to share it. For that reason, I'm keen to step back from what little part of the public eye I'm in.
"In the early stages of my [cycling] career, I was sure I would never willingly walk away. I've been born in the right place at the right time with a talent that's let me make a job of something people do for fun - that's wild. I felt that giving this up before it was ripped from my hands would be irrational.
"At some point, though, I realised no one was going to rip it from my hands. I realised the decision would have to be mine, and I've found that truth quite hard to handle.
"The draw of the 'real world' has been pulling me for a while, but I've been too scared to leave the world I know and love and, ultimately, to let go of something I'm good at. Well, it's not a very clean answer, but now is the right time simply because I'm not scared anymore. I can't claim to know why that is, but for some reason, I only have a craving to live the life I've been saving for a rainy day, and no fear that I'll miss the sunshine. It's simply time."
Archibald can look back at a career as a pioneer in women's track cycling - being involved in setting ten team pursuit world records from 4:28.74 to the current mark at 4:02.8 in February, and as the winner with Laura Kenny of the first women's Madison at the Olympic Games in 2021.
"The women's Madison was only let onto the world and Olympic programmes in late 2016, and I feel proud that I'm one of the riders who has pushed that event forwards," Archibald said.
"It also feels good when my peers tell me it's been a privilege to have raced against me. I recognise that feeling, because I've had it myself competing against riders like Kirsten Wild and Laura Kenny, and it makes me feel like I've been doing things the right way."
Now, Archibald is ready to drop the pressure that goes along with being an Olympian: having an "Olympian's body, an Olympian's mindset, an Olympian's willpower".
"Since the 13th of August 2016 [Rio Olympic Games team pursuit final], I've felt self-conscious about having the title but not the other stuff.
"I'm looking forward to finding a new identity, and to inevitably feeling self-conscious when I don't live up to that one either."
Although she will no longer compete at an elite level, Archibald isn't turning her back on cycling altogether.
"I do love writing, though, so I'm continuing my regular column in Rouleur magazine," she said.
Laura Weislo is a Cyclingnews veteran of 20 years. Having joined in 2006, Laura extensively covered the Operacion Puerto doping scandal, the years-long conflict between the UCI and the Tour de France organisers ASO over the creation of the WorldTour, and the downfall of Lance Armstrong and his lifetime ban for doping. As Managing Editor, Laura coordinates coverage for North American events and global news.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
