Canadian Michael “Rusty” Woods, a former stage winner at the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana, has announced he will retire from professional road cycling at the end of the season, bringing to a close a career spanning over a decade.
The 38-year-old, who made history as the first athlete to both run a sub-four-minute mile and complete the Tour de France, leaves the sport after claiming an individual stage victory at the 2023 Tour de France and with three stage wins at the Vuelta a Espana, the most recent of which came last year.
Currently racing for Israel Start-Up Nation, Woods took up the sport at the age of 25 after a successful running career.
While announcing his retirement, he spoke of the toll his career has taken on his health and family life.
“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,” Woods said in a statement on Monday.
“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.
“Considering I started this sport at 25 years old, on $1,000 bike gifted to me by my parents, knowing nothing about it, is insane. 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, who won bronze at the World Championships in 2018, said he still has ambitions in endurance sports.
“As they say, though, all good things must come to an end… I have made the decision to retire from professional road cycling at the end of this season,” he added.
