'It's very unlikely I'll be the best in the world at anything ever again' - How riders deal with life when they stop competing

What is the impact of retirement on a rider who spent their career racing at the highest level?

Jason Kenny is now a coach (illustration)
(Image credit: David Lyttleton)

What is the impact of retirement on a rider who spent their career racing at the highest level? I asked Sir Jason Kenny, Britain's most decorated Olympian just that. "You find yourself trying to figure out your worth and place in the world," he says. "I always judged myself on my performance. If the stopwatch said I was good, then that's what I was. When that's taken away, you have to find a new way of seeing yourself."

It's not just Olympians who, after years of having a clear reason to get up in the morning, find themselves dejectedly hitting the snooze button. "Whenever someone's sense of identity, confidence and personal power is dependent on their success in a sport, the transition away from it can be tough," says sports psychologist Peter Hudson.

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Rob Kemp
Freelance Writer

Rob Kemp is a London-based freelance journalist with 30 years of experience covering health and fitness, nutrition and sports sciences for a range of cycling, running, football and fitness publications and websites. His work also appears in the national press and he's the author of six non-fiction books. His favourite cycling routes include anything along the Dorset coast, Wye Valley or the Thames, with a pub at the finish.

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