"Winning doesn’t mean the same anymore": American veteran steps away from elite competition at 38

At 38, Peter Stetina is retiring from elite competitive cycling, closing a chapter that began when he was just 16 years old. The American rider abandoned road race in 2019 after 10 seasons in the World Tour because he wanted to commit fully to gravel racing at a time when the discipline was still emerging.

Stetina’s World Tour career ended not due to a lack of opportunities, but through a deliberate choice. After finalising his contract with Trek - Segafredo in 2019, he decided to try a new discipline instead of hanging up the bike. "When I left the WorldTour, I didn't retire. I said, gravel is a discipline in its own right, and I’m going to come race it. It deserves to have its own professionals," he said in an interview to Cycling Weekly.

Six years later, gravel racing has grown into a global, highly competitive, and increasingly professionalised scene. A completely different scenario than the one Stetina experienced back in 2019.

“I came to gravel to have a more fulfilling and fun experience,” he said. “And I almost feel like I’m back in the World Tour that I left. That’s not a negative thing, but it’s so high-performance now. It extended my career even more than I ever thought possible.”

Age and motivation both played a role in his decision to put an end to his career, but there were also other factors. “It’s a lot of things, it's complicated. The endless pursuit of another race, another performance; it’s starting to get tiresome and not fulfilling. Winning doesn’t mean the same anymore.”

Family considerations were also significant, as commonly happens to people his age. “A big part of it is not having the bike dictate every angle of family life. The bike would have to come on every family vacation. That’s not fair to my wife, to my kids growing up. I want to be more present at home.”

Despite the clarity of his decision, Stetina is still unsure whether he will easily get used to a new life without being a professional cyclist. “I’m nervous. When you retire as an athlete, it can be a midlife crisis. When this is all you’ve done since you were 16, you need to put that intensity somewhere else. And if you don’t, you can spiral.”

Still, he expressed gratitude for being able to step away on his own terms, which is not usual in cycling. “I’m really grateful that I get to do it on my terms. It’s so rare in this sport. Usually, the sport decides when you’re done.”

For now, the bike remains part of his life, even if its role has changed. He plans to become a player-coach to help the next generation of gravel riders to become professionals, passing on all the experience he has accumulated.

“I’m truly just retiring from the pursuit of pro podiums and being a professional athlete and what that entails. I want to keep going to these events and explore them in different ways. Maybe sometimes I’ll be quick, but that’s not the objective.”

"When I started in gravel, there wasn’t a formula. Now it’s a thing, which is awesome, but there’s this whole subset of younger pros who don’t know how to do it yet. So I'm going to help these young talents truly excel," he concluded.