Jakob Fuglsang hints at retirement as a professional cyclist and sets a surprising goal for 2024

Jakob Fuglsang, who is in the later stages of his career, aims to give his all in what might be his final season. The now 38-year-old Dane is setting his sights on the cobblestone classics and the Tour de France, something he hasn't done since 2016.

"At the moment, my plan is to ride the E3 Saxo Classic, Dwars Door Vlaanderen, and the Tour of Flanders," he told the Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet. "I’m looking forward to it. I’ve wanted to return and race there for a few years now. Hopefully, I still can." The Israel-Premier Tech rider only participated in the Tour of Flanders once before, in 2016, finishing in a respectable 25th place, more than a minute behind winner Peter Sagan. His motivation for that participation stemmed from the 2014 Tour de France. Riding for Astana, he and his Italian leader Vincenzo Nibali dominated the cobblestone stage, leaving everyone else behind. Chris Froome had to abandon the Tour after two crashes in just a few days, while Nibali's major rival Alberto Contador, who also eventually withdrew, struggled in the pouring rain and lost nearly three minutes to the Astana pair. The stage itself was won by Lars Boom.

Fuglsang on a farewell tour in the Tour?

Like Michael Woods, Fuglsang recently indicated that he plans to delay his retirement and continue as a professional cyclist into 2025. However, this year's Tour de France might be his final major act, as La Grande Boucle doesn't finish in Paris but on the French south coast, where Fuglsang lives with his family. "It could be my last Tour de France. Maybe that's also why I want to do the Tour this year, because it finishes in Nice and the last stage starts in Monaco. The Tour might also be my last Grand Tour. So, I really wanted to do the Tour and fortunately, it fits with what the team wants."

If Fuglsang decides to retire at the end of the season, he can look back on a highly successful career. The Israel-Premier Tech rider won two monuments with Liège-Bastogne-Liège (2019) and the Tour of Lombardy (2020) and claimed the general classification in the Critérium du Dauphiné twice (2017 and 2019). His most recent victory dates back to May last year, when he won the Mercan'Tour Classic Alpes-Maritimes.