Former British champion Alice Wood to retire at end of 2024

Former British road and time trial champion Alice Wood has announced that she will retire at the end of the 2024 season. 

The 28-year-old, née Barnes, will finish the year with her current team, US WorldTour outfit Human Powered Health, before calling time on a nine-year career as a professional. 

"I feel grateful that I have been able to do my hobby as my job for so many years,” Wood wrote in a post shared on Instagram. "They say find a job you love, and you will never work a day in your life, and I have to say for the most part that is true. It is one of the hardest and easiest jobs at the same time.

"I feel very grateful that even with a couple of crashes I have had a pretty simple career and even though I still love what I do I am excited for new challenges and feel the time is right for me to stopping pinning on race numbers."

Wood claimed her first of five professional victories at the 2017 BeNe Ladies Tour, when she beat Marianne Vos in a two-up finish on the opening stage. Two years later, she went on to do the double at the British National Championships, winning the time trial and the road race in 2019. 

Her older sister, Hannah Barnes, was also a double national champion, and retired at the end of 2023. 

"I have so many people to thank who got me to where I am," Wood continued. "To start with my parents, they put so much time and money into taking us to races and training camps from such a young age. 

"We raced everything as kids which isn't a cheap way to go about it with three kids but that helped me on my way to competing for Great Britain at the World Championships in four different disciplines."

In her announcement, Wood also singled out her husband, GB track cyclist and Olympian Ollie Wood, who she married in October 2023. "He is my biggest support and like so many others he believes in me more than I do myself," she said. "With this my family doubled in size and gave me all the support I could ever wish for."

The Brit began her career with Drops Cycling Team in 2016, before moving to Canyon-SRAM in 2018. 

Human Powered Health, her current team, who she joined in 2023, wrote in a statement: "We thank Alice for her dedication, professionalism, kindness, and willingness to help others. We look forward to seeing what the rest of her final season on two wheels holds."

Wood's next race will be the National Championships, where she will compete in the time trial this Wednesday 19 June and the road race on Sunday 23 June.