Kim Cadzow walks away from professional cycling at 24: ‘My bike was no longer my happy place’

Women’s WorldTour rider Kim Cadzow has announced her immediate departure from professional cycling at the age of 24.

The EF Education-Oatly rider, who rose rapidly from taking up cycling at 19 to representing New Zealand at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, shared an emotional statement explaining her decision to walk away from the sport.

Cadzow said she had considered several possible ways to continue her career, including focusing exclusively on time trials or pursuing an opportunity with the New Zealand track programme. Ultimately, however, the mental and physical demands of professional racing had taken away her enjoyment of cycling.

“I’ve decided to step away from my professional cycling career,” Cadzow wrote on Instagram. “I don’t feel old enough to say I’ve retired, but I can say I won’t be returning.”

“I’ve played over many situations in my head, just riding time trial, and I was so lucky to have had the opportunity to join the NZ track team for a brief stint. But riding my bike was no longer my happy place, and it felt every day more and more like punishment. I love sport, it’s my life, and I never wanted to walk away hating it.”

Cadzow’s journey through elite cycling was remarkable.

After switching from triathlon at 19, she progressed rapidly and secured a WorldTour contract with Jumbo Visma for the 2023 season.

Finding the right environment soon became a central theme in her career. During an appearance on the Domestique Hotseat podcast, Cadzow previously explained why she left Jumbo Visma after just one season, despite having long admired teammate Marianne Vos.

She said she needed an approach that offered greater mental sustainability and was less rigidly controlled.

“It is a very calculated, almost robotic way of working,” Cadzow said of her first experience in the WorldTour.

“Many riders thrive in that environment, but I am not one of them. When I got into cycling I was still a kid, and having a super regimented schedule of training and eating is our life, but if you do that day in and day out you will explode.”

Her move to EF provided a more comfortable environment and a stronger group dynamic among what she affectionately described as a “bunch of misfitted people”.

The change helped unlock the best performances of her career.

Cadzow won a stage and the overall classification at the Trofeo Ponente in Rosa, finished sixth at Liège Bastogne Liège and successfully defended her New Zealand national time trial title.

She also produced one of her finest performances on the biggest stage, finishing seventh in the individual time trial at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Cadzow’s decision to step away while still approaching the physical peak of her career highlights the delicate balance between elite performance and personal wellbeing in modern professional cycling.

As she closed the chapter on her racing career, the New Zealander thanked the people who had supported her and shared a heartfelt message with younger riders navigating the pressures of top level sport.

“Thank you to everyone who supported me and was a part of my journey, coaches, teammates, family, friends, sponsors and NZ,” Cadzow wrote.

“Nothing compared to wearing the fern on my back. To all those young riders out there, hold your friends close and your family closer. Build a circle around you of support and lean on them, because once you are done, that’s who you will have standing by your side.”