UCI's "problem child" retires after decade of beefs with race commisaries, countless disqualifications and several rule changes
CyclingMonday, 14 September 2026 at 06:00
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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- A bit of a whiner though. Attracts attention to himself and then complains people pay attention to him. You don’t usually achieve change by trying to force things through, and that’s when there’s more or less consensus it’s necessary or good. If you’re just doing it because it’s convenient for YOU or to go it alone against established ways, you’ve got no chance.Jumpyjohn14-09-2026
- Change the record.Cyclingsbestfan14-09-2026
- I'm sorry to see him go. We need people who shake things up or things never change. This reminds me of how the UCI treated Graeme Obree (google the name younngsters) back in the day.Cyclingsbestfan14-09-2026
- It is good news for cycling fans, but I doubt that the many peoples of the world that are put upon will even know about it.Cyclingsbestfan14-09-2026
- At least we saw a great race in Montreal, not like the boring Vuelta. Who cares if Mas or Roglič or Gall or anyone else won this boring Vuelta. I see comments on this site, after Pogi crashed, went down at least 25%. Pogi haters and other fools on this site won't admit it. While they celebrated Pogi's crash and saying the Vuelta was "exciting again," the reality is that the second and third weeks of the Vuelta attracted far fewer viewers. David Bavin-HobbsIn on PRO CYCLING: "A cycling world that has been dominated for years by Pogačar and UAE Emirates-XRG—and in a world where people talk about the sport being “boring,” “monotonous,” and “unexciting”—the Slovenian’s withdrawal provided a very enlightening insight. For although Pogacar had the Vuelta firmly in his grasp, far more people were watching when he was in the race versus after his departure. The statistics website Procyclingstats shared a rather bizarre graph showing the sharp drop in visitor numbers since Pogacar was forced to withdraw. In recent years, there had always been an increase in unique visitors during the first and second weeks of the Vuelta. However, Pogacar’s withdrawal resulted in a 15 percent drop."PogiSloFans14-09-2026
- Loved the kit Movistar put together, too, that has to be one of the best GT winning kits I’ve seen.anonymouscyclist14-09-2026
- Somehow Seixas went to sleep just as Del Toro launched his sprint. Seixas says he's still learning, and he won't make that mistake again. And Remco still beat Pidcock in the sprint for fifth after burning too many matches. Should be a great Worlds race indeed!Hills3314-09-2026
- Agreed. The stages for GC races have become shorter over time and the riders are fueled significantly better, while the gear has become lighter and more efficient both in terms of aerodynamics and power transfer - which all means riders are arriving to race finales and/or pinch points with more speed and more energy than ever before. People designing these routes need to take that into account, or - accept that the huge sums of money involved in winning races means that teams no longer want to risk it all on some needlessly dangerous corner purely to satisfy the blood-sport purists out there who seems to think cycling should be rolling UFCwrsty14-09-2026
- I thought this team was on the decline.mij14-09-2026
- No rider is losing "credibility" over this. It's a sprint stage, not a GC stage. Very often, a sprint stage is effectively neutralized at 5 km, sometimes 3 km. The lap was a bit more at 10 km--not a big deal. And, the lap was not chosen for the specific distance. Practically, that way, the GC would finish at the same finish line, simplifying the timekeeping and logistics. Cycling is changing/has to change. The speeds are too high on courses too rough. Assymetrically, the rewards, salaries, and demands to win so high, losses to crashes have ruined riders and their teams full seasons. Too many great riders taking one or two years to return to top form. The violence of the sport the machismo these "analysts" pretend and want to amp up is what cost the sport its credibility as sport. Cycling can't be just blood and guts.JM14-09-2026
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