“It’s extremely dangerous – Hardly anyone brakes anymore”: INEOS Grenadiers team icon retires from a peloton he finds completely unrecognisable

After 14 seasons at the heart of one of cycling’s most dominant dynasties, Salvatore Puccio has called time on his career — and admits he’s leaving behind a sport that no longer resembles the one he joined.

Speaking to TuttoBiciWeb, the long-serving INEOS Grenadiers / Team Sky rider reflected on how the peloton has become faster, riskier, and more unforgiving than ever.

“It’s extremely dangerous and draining. Hardly anyone brakes anymore — if you slow down for a moment, you lose forty positions, and getting back up is brutal,” Puccio reflected with more than a tinge of concern. “If you leave even a tiny gap, someone dives in immediately. It’s not about gears, it’s mental. The crashes we see on TV are only one percent of what really happens in the bunch.”

Puccio’s decision to retire came after a season shaped by injury and introspection. The Sicilian broke his wrist ahead of the Tour of the Alps and missed the Giro d’Italia — the race that had once given him his greatest memory, wearing the maglia rosa in 2013.

Returning later in the year, he was struck by just how much the sport had evolved. “Cycling has changed so much — it’s far more demanding now,” he said. “To stay competitive last winter I was training three times a day. Nutrition has been revolutionised too. We used to ride five hours steady after an omelette; now you leave for training with your pockets full of gels, learning to absorb 120 grams of carbs an hour.”

That intensity, he admitted, has come at a price. “The bunch is so tight now that the chaos starts from kilometre zero,” he added. “Recently I hit 84 kilometres an hour on a descent and I was scared. Sadly, I think it’s only going to get worse.”

Few riders have been as loyal or as universally respected as Puccio, who turned professional in 2011 and spent his entire career with Team Sky and later INEOS Grenadiers. He was a trusted road captain for the likes of Bradley Wiggins, Geraint Thomas, Egan Bernal and Filippo Ganna — a constant in an ever-changing line-up of Grand Tour champions.

“I’ve always worn the same jersey because I felt good in this team,” he reflected. “I’ve seen so many teammates come and go, but I prefer stability and calm. I don’t like change.”

Though his palmarès never included a professional victory, Puccio said he measured his success differently. “Every win of my teammates felt like my own,” he said. “I’ve always had the fortune to ride with real champions. For a domestique, that’s everything — you can work as hard as you want, but if your leader doesn’t win, your effort counts for nothing.”

Puccio has now raced his final races on home soil — the Giro dell’Emilia, Tre Valli Varesine and Il Lombardia — and is keen on swapping the saddle for the team car. He has already enrolled on the UCI course to become a sports director and hopes to stay in the peloton in a new role.

“I’d like to move into the team car — even for another squad,” he said. “I’ll take inspiration from Matteo Tosatto, who’s full of charisma and knows how to motivate you, and from Dario David Cioni, who’s calm and measured. Ideally, I’d like to be somewhere between the two.”

After more than a decade spent working selflessly for others, Puccio says he leaves with no regrets. “I’m incredibly happy with my career. Apart from the fatigue, I’d do it all again from the start.”