Anna Shackley forced to retire from professional cycling at the age of 22 years old after being diagnosed with a cardiac arrhythmia

After what was set to be a breakout year for Anna Shackley in 2024, the 22-year-old British rider has been forced into retirement from professional cycling, as after she was diagnosed with a cardiac arrhythmia in January, she underwent a heart screening, in which several irregularities were found.

After more extensive tests and procedures were done at a hospital in Barcelona near her hometown of Girona, during which time she did not train or race, the decision was made for the SD Worx-Protime rider to retire from the sport, as it was concluded that she would not be able to continue her career with such an issue.

Reacting to the news, her SD Worx-Protime sports manager said in a statement from the team that “we are very sorry to see Anna's cycling career end like this. She was one of the bigger talents in the women’s peloton. We saw in recent years that she was making good progress and we believed she could grow to the world top. It is especially unfortunate for her that she is now forced to stop. On the other hand, we are also happy that we were able to prevent any more dangerous complications. We hope Anna can return to her ‘normal’ life and we will work with the team to see how we can help”.