World Tour rider retires at age 29 following a crash and 2026 season without a single race day
Cycling
Team Picnic PostNL sees one of its riders retire from professional cycling this year. At age 29, Bram Welten has hung up the wheels following a career-changing injury suffered in 2025, which has had permanent consequences in his ability to be a professional rider ever since.
"I had known for a while that it would come to this. But actually making it public was difficult. Suddenly, it’s final," Welten shared with Wielerflits. "I received so many wonderful messages from all sorts of people—especially from within the cycling world".
Welten announced his retirement from the sport this past week. He does so after three years at Team Picnic PostNL. His final race however was in June 2025, as he hasn't been able to race in the peloton ever since.
"Many people were used to seeing me at races, and then, suddenly, I hadn't been in a race for a year. Those outside my immediate circle often didn't know exactly what was going on. Many former teammates reached out, too. That’s been a huge source of support".
Welten crashed at the 2025 Classic Brugge-De Panne, suffering a fractured vertebra that would only be diagnosed much later. The Dutchman continued to race through the pain, until he could no more.
“The last year and a half has been quite turbulent. I’ve been cycling—living the cycling life—since I was five or six years old. A huge part of my identity is tied to the sport. My first priority now is to find some stability in my life," he admits.
"At the very least, I know which direction I’m heading in, and I know that my time as a professional cyclist is over. That uncertainty is gone now.”
Bram Welten at the 2025 Giro d'Italia, one of his final races as a professional rider
Welten continues to suffer from a fractured vertebra
Welten suffered a fractured vertebra over years and a half ago, and described the consequences that the injury had on him: “With the knowledge I have now, I would, of course, have done things differently. It turned out that the piece of bone didn’t grow back, because I didn’t give my body enough time and rest. If I had known sooner that it was a fracture, I certainly would have rested much more and wouldn’t have kept going while dealing with these issues".
This prove detrimental for his ability to cycle, Welten raced for the final time at the inaugural Copenhagen Sprint in June 2025, and has spent the last half of his contract with the World Tour structure off the peloton.
“At the time, I didn’t know. It felt like any other minor ache—something that would just go away on its own. Do I blame myself? No, definitely not. But knowing what I know now, I would have handled it differently," he assures.
"I kept racing despite the pain. I was certainly in discomfort, but I couldn’t link it to what eventually turned out to be the actual diagnosis. I don’t regret it, though. I’m quite pragmatic about these things. You could ask ‘what if?’ about everything you’ve ever done in your life, but that doesn’t really get you anywhere.”
No proper goodbye from cycling, but a landmark memory
The last race in which Welten was able to complete stages was the Giro d'Italia that year, where on stage 4, he helped the team into one of its most recent World Tour victories. That day, he was a leadout man for Casper van Uden, the winner in Lecce.
“As a young rider, you really want to become a professional and race in the Tour de France (which he did in 2024, ed.). I managed to do that. I also really wanted to secure a professional victory, and I achieved that as well. And then, of course, there was last year—with Casper van Uden at the Giro d’Italia. Things hadn’t been going very well leading up to it, but then, at the perfect moment, everything fell into place.”
“For us as a team—and for me personally—it was a major goal. That stage win with Casper is something I’ll always remember. And to think, I did it with a broken back". This was the third-to-last race day that Welten has ever completed, on the 13th May 2025.
The Dutch sprinter turned professional in 2018 with Team Fortuneo - Samsic (which would later be known as Arkéa). Aside from his own ambitions as a fast rider - his sole pro victory came at the 2021 Tour de Vendée - he has spent a lot of time racing as a leadout for Arnaud Démare, and then later on for the likes of Fabio Jakobsen and the aforementioned van Uden.
Welten to remain in the cycling world
But Welten will remain in the cycling world. Where exactly remains a private matter: “I’d rather leave that to the organization that offered me the position; they’ll be making an announcement soon. But it will definitely be within the cycling world," he confirms.
"It’s a new challenge that I’m really looking forward to. I think it’s a good fit, and I’ve been given plenty of space to discover whether that’s truly the case," Welten, who adds that he has taken up running as a substitute type of high-intensity exercise, explained.
"I’ve realized that I’m still incredibly driven when it comes to the world of sports—it gives me a great deal of energy. I want to approach my next challenge with that same motivation and fighting spirit. Beyond that, however, I also need to rediscover myself".
"Who am I, really? A huge part of my identity has been cycling. I’ve come to realize that there is, of course, much more to life than just riding a bike—thankfully so, I might add," he concluded. "Ultimately, you have to find a rhythm in your daily life, too. I think I’m well on my way to finding a good balance in that regard.”
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- I would have thought the same about Paul, my expectations were non existent when they announced he would do the 2026 Tour. I personally believe he can win this 2027 edition if Tadej struggles in the tt's. If Tadej doesn't struggle in the tt's then he will win in 2027 barring a crash or sickness. It will mostly come down to his ability to overcome his C7 fracture which will affect his tt position this coming year.awp29-10-2026
- Remco was a World Champion, and he won two Monuments and one Vuelta. And that’s it. Remember: no more Grand Tours, World Championships, or Monuments for Remco. As for Paul, he’ll have to wait a few more years for the Tour. As long as Tadej is at his peak...MajorPayne29-10-2026
- I think this will be a breakout year for Seixas. The course suits him, Tadej's C7 fracture is going to hurt him this year on the tt bike, I know they are talking about a different position for him right now. But his road bike racing will not be affected. If he comes healthy and doesn't crash, he wins. If he has a small issue with anything Paul might take advantage and take his first Tour. This is Remco's last chance to win a Tour but being honest he can't win it. The old guard is shifting but Tadej will remain for another few years.awp29-10-2026
- In my opinion, I'd like to give him a few races to get his 'legs'. This is the end of the season and an ideal time for him to get some valuable racing time for next year. Also, here's another rider coming back from devastating injury. Also, how much sprinting time will he get with Brennan as their main sprinter?Paggss29-10-2026
- Nah. Seixas for a Giro-Vuelta double. Kooij for the Tour
Rafionain-Glas29-10-2026 - it puts food on the table - I don’t see it as arrogant, but it is my opinion. and if that is his food budget, good for him. they are using his image to make money of which he is not profiting. whatever that is worth is money due to him, and if he wants to spend it on food, great. of course he isn’t. it is a play on words.mij29-10-2026
- Fantastic news!anonymouscyclist29-10-2026
- Why not 11 then?Rafionain-Glas29-10-2026
- Crikey... Zonneveld in charge of a team... never knew that was possible. You learn new things every dayRafionain-Glas29-10-2026
- Eccelente! Although cutd are a bit late to report on thisRafionain-Glas29-10-2026
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