Here are all the riders retiring at the end of the 2019 season
A number of big names will not return to the pro peloton next year
Simon Spilak and Laurens Ten Dam (Getty)
As we near the end of the season, we are left with no option but to sit quietly and wait patiently for the 2020 season to come around, while riders take some well-earned time off before beginning their training regimes once more.
However, for a number of riders the 2019 season will be their last, and so here are all the professionals retiring after this season.
Laurens ten Dam (Ned) CCC, 38
A professional career spanning 20 years, spending most of his time with Rabobank/LotttoNL-Jumbo before moving on to Giant-Alpecin and then CCC. Ten Dam notched up two top 10 Grand Tour finishes, ninth at the 2014 Tour de France and eighth at the 2012 Vuelta a España.
In total he rode 18 Grand Tours, finishing 15 of them, often with his iconic drool dangling out of his mouth.
Mark Renshaw (Aus) Dimension Data, 36
Mark Renshaw's career will be defined by his role as one of Mark Cavendish's most prolific lead-out men, but he also took a stage race victory at the Tour of Qatar in 2011 as well as two team time trial stage wins at the Giro d'Italia in 2009 and 2011 with Columbia-High Road.
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In his final race at the Tour of Britain, Renshaw stopped by the side of the road to share a heartwarming moment with his family as he pedalled across the finish line one last time.
Simon Špilak (Slo) Katusha - Alpecin, 33
Simon Špilak retires at the age of 33, having turned pro in 2005 and spending his career at only three teams. Firstly KRKA-Adria Mobil before moving to Lampre in 2008 and then Katusha in 2012.
The Slovenian won the Tour de Suisse twice in 2015 and 2017, and before that the Tour de Romandie in 2010, and took victories in two one-day races in 2013, the Eschborn-Frankfurt and the GP Miguel Indurain.
He only rode two Giro d'Italias, and of three Tour de France starts he only finished once, in 109th in 2009.
Rubén Plaza Molina (Esp) Israel Cycling Academy, 39
Rubén Plaza Molina's biggest day on a bike came in 2015, when he escaped his breakaway companions on the final climb of the day to steal victory on stage 16, with Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) finishing second.
The Spaniard also claimed two stages of the Vuelta a España in 2005 and 2015 as well as taking the bands of the Spanish road race champion twice in 2003 and 2009.
Before spending his two final seasons with Israel Cycling Academy, Plaza Molina rode for Movistar, Lampre-Merida and Orica-GreenEDGE (now Mitchelton-Scott). His highest Grand Tour finish, of which he competed in 14, came in his very first in 2005, when he finished fifth in the Vuelta.
Jarlinson Pantano (Col) Trek-Segafredo, 30
Jarlinson Pantano retired in the wake of his EPO positive, yet continues to claim his innocence, saying he doesn't see the point in spending his money to fight the UCI verdict.
A test earlier this year showed a positive for EPO and resulted in his firing from Trek-Segafredo, who he had raced for since 2017.
The Colombian's biggest result was his stage win at the 2016 Tour de France, when he raced for IAM cycling, as well as claiming his national time trial title in 2017. His highest Grand Tour finish was 19th at the Tour de France, which he achieved in successive years in 2015 and 2016.
Mathew Hayman (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott, 41
The 2016 Paris-Roubaix winner retires at the age of 41, the second oldest retiree this year. Hayman rode a multitude of one-day Classics in his 20 years as a pro, firstly for Rabobank for 10 years before moving to Team Sky and then on to Mitchelton-Scott. The Australian retired after the 2019 Tour down Under, remaining with his team as a part-time sports director.
Marcel Kittel (Ger) Katusha-Alpecin, 31
Kittel's retirement has been well-documented this year, having announced his break from racing in May as he quit Katusha-Alpecin. The German was one of the most talented sprinters of his generation, picking up 14 Tour de France stages as well as four at the Giro and a solitary Vuelta stage victory.
Maxime Monfort (Bel) Lotto-Soudal, 36
Maxime Monfort retires after a career encompassing 20 Grand Tours, his best placing being sixth at the 2011 Vuelta. He took stage race victories at the Tour de Luxembourg in 2004 and Bayern-Rundfahrt in 2010, as well as a Belgian national time trial tile in 2009 and a Vuelta team time trial victory in 2011 with Leopard-Trek.
Lars Ytting Bak (Den), Dimension Data, 39
Another stalwart of the professional peloton, Dane Lars Ytting Bak has claimed his national road race title once and national time trial title three times, while also taking team time trial victories at both the Giro and Vuelta.
His biggest individual win, though, was at the 2012 Giro d'Italia, where he won stage 12, finishing ahead of Sandy Casar (FDJ).
Others:
Yoann Bagot (Fra) Vital Concept - B&B Hotels
Matti Breschel (Den) EF Education First, 35
Nuno Bico (Por) Burgos - BH, 25
Roy Curvers (Ned) Sunweb, 39
Maxime Daniel (Fra) Arkéa-Samsic, 28
Bart De Clercq (Bel) Wanty-Gobert, 33
Moreno De Pauw (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen - Baloise, 28
Kenny Dehaes (Bel) Wallonie-Bruxelles, 34
Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale, 39
Hubert Dupont (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale, 38
Brice Feillu (Fra) Arkéa-Samsic, 34
Roberto Ferrari (Ita) UAE Team Emirates, 36
Yohann Gène (Fra) Total Direct Energie, 38
Krister Hagen (Nor) Riwal Readynez, 30
Evan Huffman (USA) Rally UHC Cycling, 29
Markel Irizar (Esp) Trek-Segafredo, 39
Jacques Janse van Rensburg (Rsa) Dimension Data, 32
Marco Minnaard (Ned) Wanty-Gobert, 30
Amaël Moinard (Fra) Arkéa-Samsic, 37
Antonio Molina (Esp) Caja Rural - Seguros RGA, 28
Matteo Montaguti (Ita) Androni Giocattoli - Sidermic, 35
Steve Morabito (Sui) Groupama-FDJ, 36
Moreno Moser (Ita) Nippo Vini Fantini Faizanè, 28
Patrick Müller (Sui) Vital Concept - B&B Hotels, 23
Daan Olivier (Ned) Jumbo-Visma, 26
Alexandre Pichot (Fra) Total Direct Energie, 36
Perrig Quéméneur (Fra) Total Direct Energie, 35
Lukas Spengler (Sui) Wallonie-Bruxelles, 25
Svein Tuft (Can) Rally UHC Cycling, 42
Preben Van Hecke (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen - Baloise, 37
Benoît Vaugrenard (Fra) Groupama-FDJ, 37
Robert Wagner (Ger) Arkéa-Samsic, 36
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