“That was definitely the last time” - Canadian veteran of five Tours de France announces retirement after unexpected home Worlds farewell
CyclingTuesday, 29 September 2026 at 20:00
Guillaume Boivin had not expected to get a farewell like this. Initially left out of Canada’s team for the Montreal World Championships, the 37-year-old spent more than 140km in Sunday’s breakaway before greeting the home crowd and confirming that his professional career will end this season.
The Canadian had returned to Europe after September’s Quebec and Montreal Grands Prix, with no NSN contract for 2027 and a decision to make about his future. An unexpected vacancy in the Worlds squad brought him back to the roads where he grew up.
“That was definitely the last time you’ll see me racing through the streets of Montréal before retiring at the end of the season. As for the rest, it depends a bit on the last two or three weeks. It was a process getting here,” Boivin told media, including Cycling News, after the race.
Boivin in action in Montreal
Two crashes and a missed Tour
Boivin’s final season had already taken several painful turns. In April, he fractured his left shoulder blade in a heavy crash in the Arenberg Forest at Paris-Roubaix. He returned to racing, only to suffer another serious fall on the final stage of June’s Baloise Belgium Tour.
That second crash required surgery on his left shoulder and ruled him out of the Tour de France, despite having already secured his place in the team. After five consecutive appearances, he missed what would have been his sixth Tour.
The home World Championships became a target during his recovery, but he was absent from Canada’s initial selection. As recently as 10 September, he was still considering another season, reluctant to finish after injuries had taken so much out of this one.
His chance came when Derek Gee-West withdrew following a crash at the Grand Prix de Montreal. Gee-West personally called Boivin, who made another journey across the Atlantic to take his place.
On Sunday, he joined the early escape alongside NSN teammate Biniam Girmay, riding through familiar villages before reaching the Montreal circuit. He remained ahead of the peloton for several laps, then high-fived spectators on Cote Polytechnique after the break was caught.
Read also
A decision on the Oude Kwaremont
Boivin had settled his future before the Worlds invitation arrived.
Back in Belgium after the Canadian races, he headed out to the Oude Kwaremont, his favourite Flemish climb. Riding its cobbles in the evening sunshine, he found himself comfortable with a decision that had occupied him for weeks. “Well, it's over, it's okay,” he recalled thinking.
In Montreal, he added: “I’ve lived everything I was meant to experience.”
His first World Championships medal had come 16 years earlier in Australia. Boivin shared U23 bronze with Taylor Phinney after the photo finish could not separate them, behind winner Michael Matthews and runner-up John Degenkolb.
He went on to ride for Cannondale and Optum before joining Cycling Academy in 2016. Over the next 11 seasons, he stayed with the organisation as it grew through its various identities into NSN, becoming a trusted rider for protecting leaders and positioning sprinters.
Along the way came Canadian elite road titles in 2015 and 2021, following his U23 title and outright victory in the combined national championship race in 2009. He also won the Famenne Ardenne Classic in 2018.
Racing with Van der Poel and Colbrelli in the Roubaix mud
His biggest opportunity in a Monument came at Paris-Roubaix in 2021. Wearing the Canadian champion’s jersey, Boivin followed Mathieu van der Poel and eventual winner Sonny Colbrelli into the decisive action. A crash on Camphin-en-Pevele inside the final 20km ended his podium challenge, but he still reached the velodrome in ninth, alongside teammate Tom Van Asbroeck in eighth.
That season also brought his first Tour de France and an Olympic appearance in Tokyo, where he helped Michael Woods finish fifth. His five Tour starts, alongside two apiece at the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana, took him to nine Grand Tour appearances.
There may yet be a few more race days. Boivin had previously identified Paris-Tours as his intended season finale, although he left his remaining programme open when speaking in Montreal.
Beyond that, he expects to retain a connection with the sport. “I’m confident you’ll still see me involved in cycling. We also plan to stay in Europe for a little bit,” he told Canadian Cycling Magazine.
He also has another sport to return to. Having originally taken up cycling to stay fit for ice hockey, Boivin said in Montreal that he was particularly looking forward to playing again.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Such a Piddy. Both him and McNulty had teammates up the road with VdP. McNulty played the team card and saved his matches. Piddy wasted matches failing to chase his teammate down…matches that might have made the difference when he later tried to catch McNulty. Best not to whine about the bed when you’re the one who made it. Meanwhile, del Toro was working hard all day. He only stopped working when his options were to sit in, or to chase a trade teammate down so Matthews could win. Sounds like he did the sensible thing to me.classicsrock29-09-2026
- "eurotrash" - LOL. Is that you Quinn?mobk29-09-2026
- Cry harder, boys!bobo29-09-2026
- Stop crying, ride fasterCrashjames29-09-2026
- Fair point from Rasmussen. At the TDF, sure, he's riding for Pogi, no question. But now that Brandon's in the rainbow jersey, he's earned the right to go for his own wins when the race suits him. He's more than just a bottle carrier at this point.Pedalmasher29-09-2026
- You want some of their oil money?? Then you do what they say. That is exactly what Brandon signed on to for the next four years.mobk29-09-2026
- This is the power of UAE, best in history surely witohut a doubt. Their domestiques are better than other teams captain and beat em in montreal and now WC its crazy. UAE is a crazy teammiguel29-09-2026
- Sure, it's frustrating. The men’s race drove me crazy, I couldn’t sit still, and I won’t pretend that I didn’t scream at the screen once or twice. But this is hardly a new phenomenon, nor does it only happen at the Worlds. We saw it back in Leuven in 2021 when questions lingered over how hard Belgium actually chased Alaphilippe. Conversely, you see the flip side when riders step outside their team for friendship and their shared nation, like G helping Cav in the final stage of the 23’ Giro. It’s almost impossible for the UCI to prevent it. We live in an era where cycling is dictated by super teams like UAE and Visma, and cyclists don’t want to burn bridges with team mates they have to work with for the rest of the year. It is what it is.anonymouscyclist29-09-2026
- A number of commentators said MVDP and WVA needed to get ahead of the climbers. I think that was backwards, they needed to drop him. Even after burning so many matches MVDP was able to crush all the climbers in the sprint, and if he hadn't used himself up he would have beaten Matthews, too.velodan29-09-2026
- Last year del Toro raced like a full Pogi domestique. This year harder to tell. Certainly others could have worked harder too to catch Brandon.mobk29-09-2026
Loading
Write a comment