Heartbreak for Alexander Kristoff: Career over after crash in Langkawi, ending Norwegian's hopes of reaching 100 wins before retirement

Alexander Kristoff’s illustrious career appears to have ended in cruel fashion. The 38-year-old Norwegian, racing what was set to be the final event of his professional career at the Tour de Langkawi, crashed during stage 7 and was forced to abandon, bringing an abrupt end to his pursuit of a landmark 100th career victory.

Kristoff, riding for Uno-X Mobility, had made the trip to Malaysia with one clear goal — to sign off from the sport with a century of wins. Sitting on 98 victories heading into the race, he needed just two more to round off his palmarès in style. The Tour de Langkawi, featuring six potential sprint finishes, seemed the perfect opportunity for the veteran sprinter to complete the feat before bowing out.

Earlier in the week, Kristoff came agonisingly close to continuing his winning tradition, finishing a narrow second to Matteo Malucelli on stage 3. He also placed fifth in the opening and sixth stages, showing flashes of the strength and consistency that have defined his career — one that includes victories at Milano–San Remo, the Tour of Flanders and four Tour de France stage wins.

Sadly, fate has ruined any plans of a successful farewell to the peloton. Midway through stage 7 of the Tour de Langkawi, Kristoff went down on a seemingly harmless stretch of dry, straight road, bringing down his teammate Erlend Blikra in the process. Blikra was able to remount and continue, but Kristoff — grimacing and clutching his side — remained at the roadside, unable to carry on.

With that fall - and his subsequent abandon of the race - the curtain effectively comes down on one of the most enduring and respected careers in modern cycling. A stalwart of the peloton for over 15 years, Kristoff amassed 98 victories and a reputation as one of the sport’s toughest, most reliable sprinters. His strength, work ethic and longevity made him a national hero in Norway and a model professional within the international peloton.

Whether the story truly ends here remains to be seen. Retirement decisions in cycling have a way of being rewritten, but if this is indeed the end, Alexander Kristoff departs with his legacy secure: a champion who raced with grit, humility and class, right to the very last kilometre.