UCI's "problem child" retires after decade of beefs with race commisaries, countless disqualifications and several rule changes
Cycling
If you have walked past the UCI office these days, you might've heard a champagne pop. That is because one of UCI's commissioners' worst "enemies," Jan-Willem van Schip, announced his retirement from cycling at the age of 32.
"Time to look elsewhere. I’m going to stop cycling," Van Schip wrote in his retirement announcement on Instagram, before looking back at some of the highlights of his career.
Have you not heard the name before? It wouldn't be a surprise. And yet, Van Schip was undoubtedly one of the most enigmatic and polarizing characters in the sport of cycling for the past decade.
Track star and an ahead-of-time innovator
Jan-Willem van Schip's career was always bound closely to track cycling. And that the tall Dutchman had quite a bit of talent is evident from his palmares with two World titles (Points race 2019, Madison 2023), a European title (Madison 2021), several World Cup triumphs, and three Olympic Games appearances.
But Van Schip also brought his skills also to the road cycling world, where the Dutchman spent two seasons at the professional level with Roompot (before disbanding). During that time, Van Schip claimed several great results, for example, a 12th place at Gent-Wevelgem 2018, won brutal Slag om Norg later the same year, and became a consistent feature in Belgian one-day races.
After the COVID outbreak, Van Schip returned with more focus on track again and a new passion—aerodynamics innovations (which were not always compatible with UCI's interpretation of rules).
The DQ soap opera
Since 2024, Van Schip has landed a 'DQ' next to his name four times in road races. More often than not, it was connected to his unique bike setups combined with specific hand positions,s, which take inspiration from track specials.
Even though Van Schip always argued that he satisfied all technical demands in the UCI rulebook, the jury was usually strict with the Dutchman. Perhaps a bit too strict. As he often points out, similar setups and positions often go unnoticed by the same commisaires "when your name isn't Jan-Willem van Schip".
Read also
With the 32-year-old's retirement, a rather erratic chapter closes. Although technical innovations in the sport of cycling will continue, and we wouldn't be surprised if Jan-Willem van Schip was behind some of them, perhaps as a secret advisor of one or another team...
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- Indeed! A reluctant gift maybe. Even more reluctant gift from Roglic! Tho I can’t see that Rog would have beaten Ving anyway.Lozza14-11-2026
- That really nasty crash in 2022 Liege must have played a big part - broken ribs, pneumothorax. You only have to look at his points tallies pre and post.Lozza14-11-2026
- Yeah, good luck getting tv and race organisers like ASO etc to part with their cash!Lozza14-11-2026
- 36 and Ineos have bought a rider on the downward slope. Bring back Dave and Rob who could manage the team. How are Ineos going to win a grand tour with people past their sell by date.paultryan200214-11-2026
- Mmmm would he be making these comments when he was on the richest team when riding. I think not i suspect. If we want money put into the sport we need sponsors who are prepared to put the money in. No disrespect but his team are 2nd or 3rd div in football terms with riders over the hill or 2nd string riders. If i was a sponsor i would be looking at what publicity am i getting back and Tudor really are just making up the numbers really.paultryan200214-11-2026
- I see (elsewhere) that Alaphilippe had more to say than what got relayed in this stub. Me: he was very good early but his latter third trajectory was the pits. His old boss did what he could (huffed and puffed) but Julian couldn't get his greatness back. Sometimes I wonder if crashes that didn't look like much changed the course of the rider.flyer14-11-2026
- I wouldn't classify it as a gift because the nasty consequences of taking it from Sepp would have been great and would persist and he knew it.flyer14-11-2026
- Ok. Tratnik's good and Red Bull's better so Tratnik may get what he wants.flyer14-11-2026
- Ok. So just saying he wasn't enjoying racing anymore is some kind of explanation? Me saying I don't enjoy his explanation is more explaining than he did.flyer14-11-2026
- Buitrago, was he their best rider in 2026? He's the chief loss for them and Martinez and Tiberi (especially) have to step up or they will be overtaken by Bahrain's younger riders like Omrzel. I'm still somewhat high on Martinez but Tiberi, after showing signs of promise, has fizzled. Bahrain still has a good team but they need to improve and exceed expectations. I'd be happy if Mohoric could manage to return to his better form for maybe one last year at least.flyer14-11-2026
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