Former cyclocross promise Antoine Benoist announces retirement at 22

22-year old Antoine Benoist has announced his retirement from cycling. The French cyclocross rider had been one of the upcoming talents over the last few years together with the likes of Tom Pidcock and Eli Iserbyt, however his path has ended differently.

In a long duo of posts on Instagram he announced the decision, admitting "my health concerns got the better of me.. I will not have succeeded in reaching the end of my goals, a failure, a slap in the face but that's life."

In 2019 he finished third in the under-23 World championships in Bogense behind Pidcock and Iserbyt, and finished fourth the following year in Dübendorf. He was a prominent figure in the under-23 scene, having finished on the podium of several World cup racing and winning domestic races and national championships.

"Now I'm going to take a step back and step aside, I don't know if I'll be able to digest this decision right now or if it's going to take time. It's up to me to get up and achieve new goals / projects that I already have in mind," he mentioned, as an evolution of what he will envision now.