After 10 years in the professional peloton, Rick Zabel will retire at Rund um Köln at the end of May
Cycling
May 26 will be the final raceday of Rick Zabel's career. The 30-year-old German professional will retire at his home race Rund um Köln with more than 10 years worth of experience racing at the highest level for BMC, Katusha Alpecin and since 2020 in Israel - Premier Tech jersey.
"I have to tell you something," Zabel begins his Instagram post. "After 13 years as an active professional cyclist, this journey ends this year. On the 26th of May, at Rund Um Köln, I will ride my last race. It was an amazing time. Thank you all."
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Unlike his famous father Erik Zabel who won 150 professional races as well as six Green jerseys at Tour de France and three Points classifications at Vuelta a Espana, Rick devoted most of his career to helping his teammates raise hands.
If we were to pick on some highlights of Rick's career, we can mention his two wins. In 2015, Zabel won stage 3 of Tour of Austria and in 2019, he added Tour de Yorkshire stage 2 to his palmares. In 2017, Zabel was close to winning World Tour classic, the Eschborn-Frankfurt, but Alexander Kristoff proved to be faster. Zabel's final remark was his brief feature in KOM jersey at the beginning of 2022 Giro d'Italia, where, for once, he also saw the world from a Grand Tour podium, like his father did so many times.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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