'I became increasingly concerned about my safety' - Louis Kitzki retires from professional cycling

Speaking in an announcement via his Instagram, Kitzki stated "After participating in my last race, the Giro Ciclistico Valle D'Aosta, and the associated death of Samuele Privitera, I decided to end my career as a professional cyclist. Italian Junior Privitera (19) died after a fall during the opening stage Giro della Valle d'Aosta.

"After last year's Tour of Austria, where another rider died, I already had serious doubts about racing and was on the verge of quitting," stated Kitzki. André Drege tragically lost his life after an incident in a high-speed descent during the 4th stage of the Tour of Austria. A stark reminder of how dangerous descending in cycling can truly be, with riders hitting frightening speeds over the 100km/h mark with a real lack of personal safety equipment.

Continuing in his statement, Kitzki said, "Nevertheless, I continued and largely suppressed what had happened. Unfortunately, after the Tour of Austria, I never became the racer I once was again. I became increasingly concerned about my safety and felt increasingly uncomfortable in races, which in the medium term meant that I was never able to reproduce in races what I had worked so hard to achieve in training."

With other tragic incidents in recent years, other professional cyclist's have also expressed similar feelings of emotions, after the death of Gino Mäder during the 2023 Tour de Suisse. Quinn Simmons was one rider in particular who said after his Tour de Suisee stage win in June 2025, "It's really hard for me to be here again."

With the the announcement here by Louis Kitzki, and other professional cyclist's similar feelings, It is a reminder that professional cyclists are, above all, human.