Kim de Baat will retire at the end of 2023 after complicated season with injuries and illnesses

Kim de Baat, last year's Belgian champion, has announced her retirement as a professional cyclist. De Baat surprisingly conquered the Belgian tricolor as a complete outsider.

Unfortunately, she didn't enjoy her Belgian jersey much. A few days after her surprising Belgian title, De Baat broke her collarbone and some ribs during an altitude training. She also underwent operations on her shoulder and contracted a corona infection. The pressure of the Belgian champion's jersey also weighed on De Baat.

"After 26 years of racing, it's time to say goodbye," De Baat writes on her social media. "I know this is unexpected for a lot of people because I'm really passionate about the bike."

"But my body got tired. And after a lot of searching, we found out that I struggle with overtraining syndrome. It takes a long time to recover from that."

On Monday, De Baat will play one last time at the derny criterium in 's-Gravenwezel.