Anne Terpstra retires: one of the most consistent XCO cyclists says goodbye

Anne Terpstra has announced that she will be ending her professional career in the coming weeks. At 35 years old, one of the most recognizable and consistent cyclists in international XCO has confirmed that the World Cup in Les Gets and the World Championship in Val di Sole will be her two final races at the highest level.

The Dutch cyclist will say goodbye to a World Cup she has been part of for over a decade, where she has achieved something as challenging as remaining among the best in the world for years and being a regular presence on the podium.

Anne Terpstra announces the end of her professional career

Terpstra has communicated her decision through an extensive post in which she acknowledges that the outcome has come sooner than she initially imagined. The disappearance of Lapierre PXR Racing at the end of this season has accelerated a decision that, in some way, had already begun to mature.

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"In the process of returning to the level that I know I can reach, the news from Accell has been difficult to digest. With the disappearance of Lapierre PXR Racing, I have a big change ahead, as I will be ending my career in the World Cup", explains Terpstra.

The Dutch cyclist had started this season a seemingly new phase with Lapierre after being linked for almost ten years to Ghost. In practice, the change was much smaller than the new name suggested, as the team's sports structure and many of the people she had been working with for years remained the same.

That relationship with the team occupies an important part of her farewell. Terpstra assures that she had never felt so integrated into a team as she has during these last months and highlights the speed with which a strong bond was created among the members of Lapierre PXR Racing.

"We all know what TEAM means, and I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to live this time together", she writes.

A retirement that comes after a challenging period

The decision also comes after two particularly demanding seasons for Terpstra. The Dutch cyclist recalls in her message the surgery she had to undergo last year, which profoundly affected her season.

Problems related to the iliac artery and the consequences of that intervention still accompany her.

"To this day, I am still fighting and working with the consequences of the symptoms of my iliac artery and the surgery," she explains. Despite this, Terpstra emphasizes that she has managed to return to the world Top 10, something that for her demonstrates that she still has the potential to compete at the highest level.

In fact, her intention was not necessarily to retire immediately. Terpstra acknowledges that she would have been willing to continue competing a bit longer and make a gradual transition to the next stage of her life. The situation of the team has ended up bringing that moment forward.

But she also admits that the process of saying goodbye to competition had begun internally before she learned of the disappearance of the structure.

"Although the circumstances have forced my decision, I realized that I had already started the process of saying goodbye earlier this year. The curiosity to experience new things in life after racing is growing stronger".

One of the most consistent cyclists of a generation

Talking about Anne Terpstra's career requires a different perspective than the one usually used to measure a sports career. Her main legacy is not only in a collection of great victories but in the extraordinary consistency she has maintained for much of the last decade.

Terpstra has been a regular at the front of the World Cup for years. She has managed to remain competitive while rivals, generations, circuits, bikes, and even the way of competing in XCO changed. Let’s not forget that Ghost was one of the last bike brands to have a dual suspension model, and until a few years ago, they were required to compete with rigid bikes.

In a sport where staying among the best for a season is already challenging, the Dutch cyclist made consistency one of her main hallmarks. Throughout all these years, she has shared the top positions with different generations of female riders and has continued to find ways to return time and again to the fight for the podium.

This sporting longevity explains why Terpstra has become one of the most recognizable figures in the women's XCO World Cup.

Now she will have two final opportunities to wear a number.

"Les Gets and Val di Sole will be my last starting lines, and I am incredibly proud to be able to be there still being competitive and enjoying what I do," she announces.

The first farewell will come at the World Cup in Les Gets. She will then travel to Val di Sole to compete in the World Championship, where she will definitively close her professional career.

"The future has never been so exciting"

Terpstra makes it clear that her decision does not mean stepping away from cycling. In her message, she also talks about everything that cycling has provided her, both sportingly and personally, from the lessons learned during her career to the relationships built outside of competition.

"I will always be grateful for everything that competing on a bike and this chapter of my life have given me," she assures.

And although she acknowledges that she will miss many things about professional sports, she faces with excitement what comes next.

"The future has never been so exciting, but I am convinced it is bright. I am ready to enter a new chapter of my life."

There is something that, according to her, will remain intact when the numbers, travels, and starting grids disappear: "What will always stay with me are all the memories and, of course, my love for cycling."

Les Gets and Val di Sole will thus mark the end of the career of a cyclist who has been part of the landscape of the World Cup for practically an entire generation.