As Ide Schelling rolls through the finishing gantry in Arnhem at the end of the five-day inaugural Tour of Holland, he wishes his fellow riders well for the off-season. Many of them are his Dutch compatriots and looking forward to a break from the cut-and-thrust of the peloton, before embarking on the winter training that will ultimately deliver them to the first races of 2026 in shape.
For XDS-Astana rider Schelling, there is something deeper in those goodbyes – far more finite. At just 27, he just retired from cycle racing.
