Brown, cycling medal hope in Paris, announces his retirement

Australia’s top Olympic cycling prospect Grace Brown plans to “sign off in style”, announcing she will retire at the end of this season.

In an emotional video posted on social media, the FDJ-Seuz rider said she missed life in Melbourne with her husband Elliott Smith, family and friends.

Brown emerges as Australia’s main medal hope in the road cycling events at the Paris Olympics, having won silver in the road time trial at the last two world championships.

She finished fourth in the discipline at the 2021 Tokyo Games.

The 31-year-old achieved the biggest road race result of her career in April when she overcame a near-miss in the final kilometers to win the Liège-Bastogne-Liège classic in Belgium.

She confirmed this last month by winning the Tour de Bretagne in France.

The time trial will be Brown’s main mission in Paris, but the profile of the road course will suit her strengths and she will also be Australia’s main hope in this event.

Although she admitted to having mixed emotions about her impending retirement, Brown said the time was right to put an end to it.

“I know I could spend many more years in cycling, but I really miss my life in Australia with my husband, family and friends and it’s something that’s increasingly difficult to leave,” Brown said. in an Instagram post.

While most Australian professional cyclists move to Europe for the road season – and some don’t return for years – Brown is known for having mid-year breaks to refresh in Melbourne.

“I’m really happy with everything I’ve accomplished, it’s way beyond what I expected,” she said.

“I’m really excited for the next chapter of my life, but at the same time I’m really sad to leave this world behind.

“I want to say a very big thank you to everyone who followed me on my journey, who supported me and who believed in me.

“But it’s not over yet. I still have some really big goals that I want to achieve this year.

“I’m going to continue racing with FDJ-Suez until the end of the season… let’s see if I can sign in style.”