One of the greatest French sprinters of all time, Arnaud Démare , has announced that he will retire at the end of the 2025 season after a 14-year professional career. The 34-year-old took to social media to announce his decision, which will take effect Sunday after Paris-Tours, a race he has already won twice.

With a list of 97 professional victories, including 10 Grand Tour stages and a prestigious victory at the Milan-San Remo, Démare has written important pages in the history of French cycling.

"The time has come. At the end of this season, after Paris-Tours, I will turn the page on my professional career. What an incredible adventure..." Démare wrote, sharing family photos of him as both an adult and a child.

The French rider spent most of his career with FDJ, which later became Groupama-FDJ, and will end his professional career with Arkéa-B&B Hotels. After winning the Under-23 world title in Copenhagen in 2011, he began his pro career in 2012 with victories at the Tour of Qatar and the GP Samyn.

His most dominant period came at the Giro d'Italia in 2020 and 2022, where he won four and three stages respectively, taking home the cyclamen jersey in the points classification on both occasions.

"I never imagined I'd achieve all this. I'm proud of my journey and deeply grateful to my family, my teams, my teammates, and all the fans who have supported me," said Démare.

He thus joins a long list of great champions who have decided to hang up their bikes in 2025, including Geraint Thomas, Alexander Kristoff, Caleb Ewan, Romain Bardet, Michael Woods and Rafał Majka.