Every year, during this part of the season, we start to see riders across the peloton embark on their final professional rides. In 2025 it is of course no different, with the latest recognisable face hanging up his cycling shoes coming in the form of a former Vuelta a Espana stage winner.
Back in 2023, Geoffrey Soupe shocked the cycling world at the Vuelta a Espana, powering to victory on stage 7 ahead of the likes of Orluis Aular, Edward Theuns, Juan Sebastian Molano and Kaden Groves, among others, in Oliva, taking the biggest win of his career in the process. That turned out to be the only World Tour win of Soupe's career, with his three over successes coming at the 2.1 La Tropicale Amissa Bongo.
With his big beard making him instantly recognisable in the peloton, Soupe was a loyal and helpful soldier across the French World Tour teams over the course of his career, starting off at FDJ in the early 2010s, before moving to Cofidis between 2015 and 2019, and then latterly joining Team TotalEnergies, for whom he took that Vuelta stage win and now rides off into retirement with.
Ending his career strongly, Soupe has been competing on Japanese roads this week. Following a 3rd placed finish at the Tour de Kyushu Exhibition Sasebo Criterium on October 10th, Soupe has continued the good form into the Tour de Kyushu, finishing 2nd on stage 2 and then 3rd on stage 3, securing a podium finish on the final professional race day of his career.
"The career of the most beautiful beard of the peloton has ended in the country of the Rising Sun," wrote TotalEnergies on Instagram. "Exemplary leadout man, model teammate, with great simplicity, Geoffrey Soupe ended his career at the end of the Tour de Kyushu. At 37 years old, he leaves the memory of a generous and respected racer, marked forever by his magnificent victory on the Vuelta 2023. Thank you, Geoffrey."
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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