"The plan is to start gravel cycling" - Thomas De Gendt done with road racing but not yet fully retired

Thomas De Gendt's illustrious road racing career came to an end last weekend as he completed the 2024 Vuelta a Espana. As it turns out though, the Belgian might not yet be completely done with his bike.

"I'm most looking forward to doing nothing. I don't have to go anywhere, I can choose everything myself. So I want to discover the dullness of life," reflects the 37-year-old, five time Grand Tour stage winner in a post-Vuelta interview with Sporza, explaining how he plans to spend his free time no he doesn't have the rigours of a professional career in the World Tour.

As mentioned though, De Gendt isn't completely done with competitive bike racing. "The plan is to start gravel cycling," he explains. "I've got contacts with a few teams about doing that more professionally or not. So not to win or to do it as a pro, but just to see what those events are like and how far I can get in them. I'm still a cycling enthusiast, I still like to cycle. In the Vuelta I discovered new regions and I'd like to cycle a lot more. That can be uphill, so I'm looking forward to it."

Throughout his career, De Gendt's exciting and attacking racing style endeared him to fans of the sport, with his breakaway moves becoming a trademark of Grand Tours over the last decade. "My victory on the Stelvio is the most beautiful victory because of the location," De Gendt recalls. "It is given to few to win on a mythical climb like the Stelvio, because there is not much racing on it. To be one of the winners on top, that makes me proud."

A stage of the Tour de France also sticks out in the Belgian's memory. "That's because of the scenario of that race. It's hard to stay ahead in a Tour stage anyway," De Gendt concludes. "But then the top riders like Alaphilippe were chasing me and I still managed to beat them by a few seconds, which made it very exciting. If I had finished with a 5 minute lead, that would have been less heroic."