"As a professional cyclist you are abroad more than 200 days a year. That’s not really compatible with a young family" - Family life key to Michael Schär's retirement decision

Having been a stalwart of the peloton for over a decade and a half, Michael Schär has hung up his cycling shoes and will no longer be a professional bike rider in 2024.

Whilst the 37-year-old Swiss will continue on as a sports director at Lidl-Trek, Schär's young family and his intention to spend as much time with them as possible was a key part in his decision to call time on his career. “With the births of my two sons, my life has changed in the last two years and the family has become more central," he tells Keystone-SDA. "But as a professional cyclist you are abroad more than 200 days a year. That’s not really compatible with a young family."

Having been alongside Greg van Avermaet since 2011, Schär's career has been intertwined with the Belgian's and the fact both are retiring at the end of the 2023 season is not just a coincidence. “There are many helpers in cycling who also strive for good results themselves. It was never like that with him,” van Avermaet told the Neue Zürcher Zeitung. “He sacrificed himself 100 percent for me. That's what made him so great. He was always available, he cared about others, he had good advice.”

“My primary goal has always been to contribute to the success of the team and support our leaders,” writes Schär in a statement on Instagram. “And I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together.”