Simon Geschke gets off his bike for good

At the Tour de France 2022, Simon Geschke will wear the mountains jersey for longer than any other German. It remains to be seen whether he will contest the Tour of France again this year. What is already certain, however: The 37-year-old will end his career after this season.

Simon Geschke will contest his last season as a professional cyclist in 2024. The 37-year-old announced this himself. "2024 will be a special season for me, because I have decided that it will be my last as a professional. I am highly motivated to retire after a good year," Geschke wrote on X. Geschke will have spent 16 seasons in the peloton. So far, he has celebrated three victories, including a stage win at the Tour de France 2015.

The Berlin native will start his final professional year on January 16. Geschke has been nominated by his team for the Tour Down Under (January 16 to 21) and will then compete in the Surf Coast Classic (January 25) and the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race (January 28) in Australia. The climbing specialist with the distinctive beard has been under contract with the French team Cofidis since 2021.

"A spectacle at the limit"

A first highlight will be the Giro d'Italia (May 4 to 26), which the climbing specialist will contest for the fourth time after 2014, 2015 and 2017. "The Giro is simply the Grand Tour with the most charm. I've ridden the race three times and have always had good experiences. The atmosphere is great, but not quite as crazy as the Tour," Geschke told CyclingMagazine.

If the form is right, Geschke also wants to take part in the Tour de France (June 29 to July 21) for the twelfth time. However, the biggest race in the world also has its pitfalls. "There's no race where I'm as scared in the peloton as I am at the Tour de France. The aggressive riding style in the field, the motorcycles, the spectators - it's a spectacle at the limit. Beautiful, challenging, emotional, but also extremely dangerous. That makes the Tour a little less attractive for me," said Geschke.

In 2022, the Tour gave Geschke's already successful career a further boost when he wore the mountain jersey for nine days - longer than any German before him. However, he then lost it on the final difficult stage. In the end, the veteran finished second in the classification, but was allowed to wear the jersey on behalf of the Danish Tour winner Jonas Vingegaard on the last stage in Paris. The coronavirus drama at the Tokyo Summer Olympics will also be remembered, when Geschke tested positive shortly before the road race and ended up in quarantine instead of starting.

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Simon Geschke's impressive run at the Tour de France 2022 includes wearing the mountains jersey for an extended period, a feat unmatched by any other German cyclist. As he prepares for his final season, which begins in January 2024, cycling enthusiasts will eagerly follow his last Tour de France participation, a tradition he has upheld for twelve years.

Source: www.ntv.de