"I will retire soon. I'm not the youngest anymore" - One of women's cycling's biggest names admits her days at the top are numbered
Cycling
Marlen Reusser has admitted that her day's at the top of women's cycling are numbered, revealing that thoughts of retirement are already in her head. The Movistar rider and current time trial world champion has been one of the most successful riders in recent seasons with 43 wins since joining the World Tour in 2021.
The 35-year-old veteran welcomed Spanish sensation Paula Blasi to the team this transfer window into a move that sees Movistar's present and future overlap ahead of 2027.
Looking ahead to the 2027 Tour de France Femmes after this week's route presentation, Reusser sees great potential in the route for her new teammate as she praised her team's move to secure the Vuelta Feminina winner.
"For Paula, I think this Tour route is perfect because when you see the Ardennes-like stages, I think it's good to have good riders because you can make good tactics," Reusser said at the Tour de France Femmes route announcement in comments collected by Cyclingnews.
Marlen Reusser at the 2026 Montreal World Championships
"I will retire soon"
"And I think she will want to win the Tour in the future, and I think that's a nice thing. I will retire soon. I'm not the youngest anymore, so I think it makes sense to have her on the team; she's a very big talent. It is the Spanish team, too, so that's nice."
Meanwhile, Reusser hopes to among those who'll compete for the yellow jersey next year. That is why the Swiss cyclist was not absent from the route presentation.
And as she reveals afterwards, that was only one of her reasons to travel to the Palais des Congrès de Paris in France's capital.
"The presentation was really cool, I remember doing after only I was a very short time in cycling, doing the Olympic Games and it was never something I was dreaming about or something, but then I had to go to the kick-off, it was kind of this event in Switzerland for the Olympic Games and I was so infected by the Olympic spirit," she explained.
"So I wanted to come here to see if I get infected and I think that they managed well. It's a nice event."
Reusser on Tour de France Femmes
Reusser also noticed the difference in how men's Tour director Christian Prudhomme was presented as compared to women's race director Marion Rousse, although bouth appeared on the same stage:
"Also we have two nice directors, but I don't feel like it's them on the same level, it's more the men's director that is [on stage] then also having next to him the women's," she said.
"So I think the Tour is doing so great showing that there is not only men's sport, but then we speak a lot about it but we just should do it more. I wish these little steps to come when we speak about the presentation and the whole thing."
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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