"Every year has been an administrative struggle": African cyclist reveals reasons for his surprising retirement
Cycling
At the age of 31, Ryan Gibbons has decided to end his career as a professional cyclist. His retirement, announced shortly after his birthday in August, came as a surprise to many in the cycling world. It was not a farewell forced by a lack of contracts or physical or mental exhaustion, but a deeply personal choice, motivated by the logistical, cultural and family challenges he faced over a decade in Europe.
The South African rider of the Lidl-Trek team will hang up his bike at the Tour of Guangxi in China, his last competition. There, freed from his usual role as a domestique following the abandonment of his teammate Mattias Skjelmose, Gibbons launched a breakaway and was awarded as the most combative cyclist of the stage. A symbolic, combative farewell with a smile.
"I'm going to leave everything and enjoy every pedal stroke," Gibbons told Domestique media before his last race.
Throughout his career, Gibbons lived in Girona, Spain, as a base for competing in Europe. However, the birth of his son in late 2024 completely changed his outlook on life. "My wife and I had a baby, and that changed everything. We were struggling, and I decided I had to put my family first. Being away from the support of family and friends was taking its toll on us," he explained.
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During his ten seasons as a pro, Gibbons wore prestigious jerseys such as those of Team Dimension Data, UAE Team Emirates and most recently Lidl-Trek.
"I've been in Europe for ten years and every year has been an administrative struggle. To go to races like Canada or the Tour of Britain I needed paperwork six months in advance, and I had to physically go to embassies with proof of residency in Spain. For me it was manageable, but for young Africans starting out, it's almost impossible," he complained.
His testimony highlights a structural problem in cycling: the barriers to entry for non-European talent, particularly African talent. With his retirement and that of his compatriot Louis Meintjes, only one South African, Alan Hatherly (Jayco-AlUla), remains on the WorldTour circuit.
Gibbons was part of the South African MTN-Qhubeka project and made his professional debut in 2017 with the Dimension Data team. His victory at the Tour de Langkawi that same year promised a blazing career. Over the course of his career he totaled ten wins, including two continental gold medals in 2021.
Ryan Gibbons is two-time South African road and time trial champion
However, he himself admits that he did not achieve all that his talent promised. "My numbers were good, and my coaches and teammates said I had more potential than I showed. But it was hard to stay motivated all year being away from home. Still, I loved every second of it. I have no regrets."
Gibbons also reflected on his beginnings with a South African team, where he felt more culturally understood, but which, according to him, also limited part of his projection in the international peloton. He acknowledges youthful mistakes and a certain immaturity as causes that influenced his evolution.
Gibbons' immediate future is far from European roads. He will return to South Africa with his family and take a well-deserved rest after nearly a decade of competing at the highest level. "Probably by December I'm already looking forward to doing something again. It would be foolish not to take advantage of my experience and contacts in cycling. Maybe my future is in the sport, maybe not. For now, I just want to enjoy the peace and quiet."
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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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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