"I will miss the atmosphere in the team before a big race, like Roubaix or Flanders" - Hannah Barnes' farewell to her cycling career

The thing Hannah Barnes will miss the most about being a professional cyclist is the vibe just before one of the biggest events of the year. The 30-year old announced earlier this week that 2023 will be her last year as a pro rider after a decade in cycling which saw her win stages of the Giro d'Italia Donne and The Women's Tour, as well as both National Championship titles.

"I will miss being in a team, just sat in a bus before a big race, like Roubaix or Flanders," she told Cycling Weekly. "Everyone was so excited. The music was loud. I'm going to miss that. Even now I've not been at a race for five or six weeks and I already feel like I'm not in a team."

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"I've known for quite a long time," she said. "I've had these injuries... the team have been amazing. I've spent a lot of time in MRI machines, with doctors trying to work it out, but we couldn't. It's just got to the point where it's just so painful to race now. Training hasn't been too fun either. I've known for a while that I'm coming to the end."

"I'm sad that it has been forced on me because my body is letting me down, but I'm happy with what I've done in my career. I'm really lucky that I'm the one who has decided I want to stop rather than trying to get a contract and not being able to. I'm really happy that it was me who made the decision. It's weird, this is all I've done, I'm 30, it's all I really know. It's a bit daunting going into something new."

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