Former British champion to retire at 28 after 'difficult few years'

Former British time trial champion Lizzie Holden has announced she will retire at the end of this season at the age of 28.

The decision comes, she wrote on Instagram, following “a difficult few years”, in which the UAE Team ADQ rider struggled with her confidence on the bike and injuries.

Last month, Holden crashed out of the Simac Ladies Tour, suffering two broken ribs and a broken collarbone, and spent time in intensive care. She will return to racing this Tuesday at China’s three-stage Tour of Chongming Island, which she has decided will be her final race.

“Well, a little earlier than expected to be back racing… but I was extra motivated (stubborn) for this comeback, as it will also mark the end of my cycling career,” Holden wrote on Instagram.

“So much to be thankful for during my career and too many people to thank in a single post. I’ll be forever grateful for having been able to call cycling my ‘job’ for so many years, and I’m sure I will look back in years to come feeling proud of everything I’ve achieved along the way. I’ve met so many incredible people along the way, and my bike has taken me to amazing places in the world.”

Born on the Isle of Man, Holden was mentored at a young age by Dot Tilbury, Mark Cavendish’s first coach, who she personally thanked in her post.

In 2017, Holden joined her first UCI team, Drops, at the age of 19, and went on to step up to the WorldTour in 2023 with UAE Team ADQ, the team she has ridden with for the last three seasons. It was in 2023, too, that she took her only professional win, claiming the elite women’s time trial title at the British National Road Championships.

“After a difficult few years, losing a lot of confidence on the bike, and finally a crash resulting in a broken collarbone, numerous broken ribs and a punctured lung (to really put a nail in the coffin) it feels like the right time to move on to a new chapter,” Holden wrote. “I don’t know exactly what will be next yet, but [I’m] feeling a mix of scared and excited to see what else is out there.

“Now, for one final race to end the chapter with my UAE Team ADQ girls.”

In 2022, then riding for Le Col-Wahoo, Holden was one of the 144 riders who made history in competing in the rebooted Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.

Alongside her national title, other career best results include: 4th overall at the 2022 Lotto Belgium Tour, 2nd on a stage of the Setmana Ciclista Valenciana in 2020, and 3rd in the road race at the British National Championships in 2019.