After a (sporting) life spent at Ineos Grenadiers, Luke Rowe will say goodbye to the peloton at the end of 2024. Turning professional in 2012 with the then Team Sky that was taking its first steps toward becoming the GT machine that marked the decade, the Welsh rider has been one of the most important workhorse on the French plains, contributing to the success of no less than five Tour de France races, serving Chris Froome, Geraint Thomas and Egan Bernal. While initially scheduled to retire next season, the 34-year-old has decided to move up a season following a new heavy injury.

“I’ve had an amazing career and I have absolutely no regrets,” explains the 1990-year-old, “But the last 18 months have been difficult in many ways and with the latest incident and the resulting injury, it feels like the right time to retire, go back home to Wales and spend some more time with my family.

Considered a great promise for the cobbled classics in his early career, he bid farewell to the peloton with only two successes, at the 2012 Tour of Britain and the 2017 Herald Sun Tour, but with some fine results in one-day races such as third place at the 2017 Kuurne – Brussels – Kuurne, the day after he finished sixth at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, while the year before he finished 15th at the Tour of Flanders and in 2015 eighth at Paris – Roubaix. A victim in the summer of 2017 of a terrible crash that saw him out of racing for six months following a fractured tibia and fibula, he has not since regained that level of performance himself.

“I have so many great memories and have loved every part of being a professional cyclist,” he adds, “There are so many people who have played a key role in my career, too many to thank individually. Of course I thank my family and friends, but I would also like to thank everyone at Ineos Grenadiers, many of whom are like family. I have been incredibly lucky to spend all 13 years as a professional cyclist with a team that has supported me 100 percent in good times and bad. Their commitment and support for their athletes is world class and part of the reason I never wanted to ride for anyone else.”

Victim of a concussion at the E3 Saxo Classic, he hopes to return to racing by the summer so he can be at the start of the Tour of Britain, where he will close out his career: “For now, I’m focusing on recovering from this latest injury and working with the team and doctors to try to get back in the saddle. I still have the rest of the season and would like to race again in 2024, with the Tour of Britain as the ideal race to stop. The fans around the world have always been fantastic, but it would be really special to end my career racing in the UK in front of the home fans.”