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.

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"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.

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