Tour de France stage winner considers early retirement to "sell cheese in Japan"

Two years ago, Victor Lafay appeared like a lightning from a clear sky in the opening weekend of 2023 Tour de France, as the only rider able to match Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar on the steep Basque climbs in the first two stages of that Tour, winning the second with a late attack. Suddenly, the Cofidis rider whose contract has been running out at the time, had become the hottest prospect on the transfer market. With large expectations, the Frenchman was recruited by the ambitious project of Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale.

And while the traditional team with support of renowned sports company blossomed, Lafay was sidelined with a knee injury, only returning to racing in July. Despite the late start to the year, Lafay was able to end year somewhat on a high with a fourth place at the Tour of Guangxi. Not the race he wanted to have as a highlight, but a decent-enough springboard towards the next season.

But illness and injuries continued to haunt Lafay who completed just six race days until early April of 2025 and then disappeared for fourth months. Since then, we have seen merely a shell of the man who was chasing Pogacar and Vingegaard two years earlier.

The final month of 2025 is here and Lafay has no contract for next season, and no offers either. The market is already unstable due to merger of Lotto + Intermarché and Arkéa - B&B possibly disbanding. Nobody dares to take a gamble on the unhealthy 29-year-old anymore. And Lafay is not really hopeful either.

"I don’t know yet for 2026," Lafay explained to Daniel Benson about whether he'll be seen on the roads in 2026. "I’m not sure if I’ll race again next year. I’ve not decided yet, but with these two years I’ve had a lot of time to decide on what I’d do after cycling, and I think that I’m okay to stop now. I’m happy to stop. I will take a few weeks, and I want to decide when I’m in good shape, but now it’s not good because I’m sick. After a good race, I’ll decide."

Next to lingering health issues, the sport is also becoming faster and faster, making it hard for seasoned pros to catch up when returning from long injuries, such as is the case for Lafay.

"I’m 29, I’m not 19 like these young guys," Lafay told Benson. "Cycling has changed a lot in these years. I did this all my life since I was five, and there’s something else to do. We risk our lives cycling, and I have a lot of things to do out of cycling. First, I want to travel but really enjoy it, not like how we travel now in countries and never see anything."

"Also, I want to do other sports. I have a lot of ideas for work that I’d like to do after. Sell cheese in Japan, for example. Because I’m a cheese lover. I have a lot of good ideas and I know that the future will be really good."