"I don't want to take the risks I've been taking for years" - Michael Woods retires due to a loss of motivation

Michael Woods will stop with road cycling after 10 years in the professional peloton. The Canadian was a latecomer to the sport, making a WorldTour debut at the age of 29, but still left a massive mark on the sport. Winner of four Grand Tour stages and a medallist from the 2018 World Championships, Woods can look back at a great career, even though this last season didn't go very smoothly.

"The World Championships in Montreal definitely made my decision to retire harder," Woods admitted in WielerFlits interview. "My goal was to reach that world championship in 2026, but I don't want to compete in the World Championships just to 'ride along.' I really want to be competitive, and it felt like too much of a challenge for me to be at my best for that World Championship road race."

"I'm still in good shape, but I no longer have the will to take the risks necessary to truly compete," he says referring to the considerable amount of serious crashes (in training) recently.

Instead, Woods will leave the opportunity to represent on home roads to the coming generation and the likes of Derek Gee and Michael Leonard. "I think I'm doing a disservice to young riders by doing that. They could be showing their skills in their own country."

Woods wants to make it clear that he's not quitting because his passion for cycling would be gone. It's just that the pros of competing no longer overweigh the cons it brings, such as crashing and being away from family.

"I really love this sport, and I'm very grateful to cycling," says Woods. "I feel very fortunate to have been able to be a part of it. But since I had a really bad crash in March, and I've crashed before, and considering my age and my two children, I think it's time to stop. I don't want to take the risks I've been taking for years."

"I love road cycling, but I don't enjoy it anymore. Simply because I've become afraid of the risks involved," said the Canadian. "I do enjoy cycling and I love training, pushing myself to the limit. But I don't enjoy the risks anymore."

In any case, Woods has no plans of disappearing from sport. The former runner already has plans for 2026 and the name of the ever-popular gravel in North America has been mentioned.

"My form is still very good, and I can tell from my training data," he explains. "At my age, I know I only have a few years left at the top level, so I'm eager to take on new challenges next year. Gravel is one of them, but I also want to take on triathlon. I'm even considering ski touring (also known as ski mountaineering , ed.) and trail racing."