Marta Cavalli retires from cycling at age of 27
The Flèche Wallonne and Amstel Gold Race winner's career was blighted by crashes in recent years, and the 2025 season in the colours of Picnic-PostNL proved to be the last of her career.
Marta Cavalli has announced her retirement from professional cycling with immediate effect. The 27-year-old revealed the news in a social media post on Sunday, a day after abandoning the Tour de l’Ardèche.
Cavalli’s career has been blighted by ill fortune in recent years, starting with the crash that forced her to abandon the 2022 Tour de France Femmes. She suffered two training crashes in 2024 that limited her to just five days of racing last season.
In 2025, Cavalli swapped FDJ-Suez for Picnic-PostNL, but she was unable to recapture the sparkling form that carried her victories at Amstel Gold Race and Flèche Wallonne in the Spring of 2022.
“Years and years spent chasing dreams and goals have taken their toll, and after pouring out litres of sweat, grinding out kilometres and pushing my limits over and over again, I feel exhausted,” Cavalli wrote.
“The last few years have been very difficult due to constant ups and downs, and for a long time I have been chasing a condition that has never returned again. My legs are no longer as strong as I would like them to be, and my motivation has been waning.
“I have found myself at a crossroads many times, but I have always chosen to stay and get back in the game because I have never liked giving up.”
The Italian had hoped that the move to Picnic-PostNL would spark a turnaround in her fortunes, but her best result in 2025 was 13th place at the revived Milan-San Remo.
“A year ago, I faced one of the most difficult moments, I overcame it (fortunately not alone) and I returned to racing with my number on my back,” Cavalli wrote.
“A year later, I can say with peace of mind that I no longer feel part of this world and the time has come to say goodbye to the team because my work here is done.
“I won’t hide my disappointment, but the time has come to let go and pursue other dreams I have.”
A native of Cremona, Cavalli began her career with Valcar in 2017 before moving to FDJ in 2021. She enjoyed a breakout campaign the following season, winning Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallonne and the Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenge. She also placed second overall at the Giro Donne and fifth at Paris-Roubaix.
In 2023, she claimed both the Tour des Pyrenées and the Tour de l’Ardèche, but her career was upended by crashes in 2024.
“I’ve had so much fun over the years in the saddle, meeting lots of people and experiencing crazy adventures,” Cavalli wrote.
“I have so many people to thank, first and foremost the teams that have accompanied and supported me. It is time to discover the world from a different angle and live a more ‘normal’ life.”
In an interview with DirectVélo earlier this month, Cavalli outlined what she had been missing in recent seasons.
“Consistency, being able to train well, run, train again... For several years now, I’ve never been able to string things together. I’m still lacking the rhythm to compete with the best in the world,” said Cavalli, who acknowledged the difficulty of recapturing her 2022 form.
“I dream about it every day, but it seems far away. My training data is no longer the same, I can’t push the same watts, I can’t be as strong. If I try to push harder, I always end up burning out. I'm limited. Mentally and physically, everything has become harder. It’s frustrating, but I'm fighting.”
