Jakob Fuglsang announces his retirement from professional cycling

Fuglsang’s glistening career palmarès also included two overall victories in the Critérium du Dauphiné, a silver medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics in the road race, along with numerous other achievements, leading the Dane to describe his career as “more than [I] could ever hope for.”

In a post on Israel- Premier Tech’s X page, Fuglsang said: “When I signed my last contract with the team last year, we agreed on a seven-month deal for me to able to be apart of our GC project with Derek [Gee.]”

So far during the 2025 Giro d’Italia, the GC project has been a success with Derek Gee sitting fourth overall on the general classification ahead of the final three days of the race.

Fuglsang began his cycling life as a mountain biker before switching to the road full-time in the wake of his victory at the 2008 Tour of Denmark. He spent two seasons with Saxo Bank before joining the new Leopard Trek squad in 2011 and then moving on to Astana in 2013.

During his long spell at Astana, Fulgsang claimed victories at Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2019 and Il Lombardia in 2020, while landing top 10 finishes at both the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France. 

He also played a key role in helping Vincenzo Nibali to win the Tour in 2014 and the Giro in 2016. Fuglsang transferred to Israel Premier Tech ahead of the 2022 season.

Before stage 19 of the Giro d’Italia, Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) paid tribute to the impact that his compatriot Fuglsang had made on Danish cycling.

“I remember Jakob riding for Designa Køkken when I was a young kid and he was doing the Tour of Denmark," Pedersen said.

“You know, back then, it was crazy to see a star in the professional side of cycling. Him being an under-23 world champion in mountain biking, monument winner, top ten in grand tours, it’s a huge legacy he leaves behind.”