76-year-old Specialized founder Mike Sinyard returns to take the helm

Four years after stepping away from his CEO role, Specialized founder Mike Sinyard will resume as CEO starting 1 November. The 76-year-old will retake the helm following Armin Landgraf’s departure.

Bicycle Retailer reports that Landgraf is stepping down after two years as CEO and four years with the American bicycle company. Neither Specialized nor Landgraf disclosed the reason for his departure or details about his next move.

Sinyard founded Specialized in 1974 and served as its CEO for 48 years. After stepping down from the CEO role in 2022, he remained with the company as founder, chairman and chief rider advocate.

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Since then, two executives have led the company, each lasting just two years. Former Dyson executive Scott Maguire succeeded Sinyard in 2022, before Landgraf, a former CEO of both Pon.Bike and Canyon Bicycles, took over in 2024.

Landgraf described leading Specialized as "a tremendous privilege" and said the company is in "a strong position, with a clear strategy and an exceptional team."

In return, Specialized thanked Landgraf for helping strengthen its foundations for sustainable, long-term growth.

"As I step back into the CEO role, I’m driven by the same passion for supporting riders and retailers," Sinyard said in a statement.

He described Specialized as "a big bike shop at heart" and said he still shows up every day "committed to making it the best one it can be."

Cycling Weekly's North American Editor, Anne-Marije Rook is old school. She holds a degree in journalism and started out as a newspaper reporter — in print! She can even be seen bringing a pen and notepad to the press conference.

Originally from the Netherlands, she grew up a bike commuter and didn't find bike racing until her early twenties when living in Seattle, Washington. Strengthened by the many miles spent darting around Seattle's hilly streets on a steel single speed, Rook's progression in the sport was a quick one. As she competed at the elite level, her journalism career followed, and soon, she became a full-time cycling journalist. She's now been a journalist for two decades, including 14 years in cycling.