May 24, 2006 — To a packed press conference, Canadian cycling star Lyne Bessette announced her retirement from road cycling just a few days before the Montreal World Cup. “The time has come for me to retire and to let others take their turn in the spotlight,” announced Bessette this afternoon.

A season filled with injuries advanced the idea of retirement for Bessette who had already suffered a concussion at the Tour of Geelong in Australia in February, followed by a shoulder dislocation at the Commonwealth Games in March 2006. Adding these to a stellar career that included three broken collarbones and a total of eight concussions means Bessette was a fighter. Nonetheless, she had already considered retirement after a heart-breaking fall at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

“I still love cycling, but recently with my injuries, the stress, and the falls I began reconsidering my future in pro road cycling. To be in the top ten in the world, you have to take risks, you have to not be afraid to fall and get hurt. I took those risks when I was younger, a few years ago, but now I hesitate,” said Bessette in a televised interview with Radio-Canada.

Canada won’t lose Bessette for good however, she will be on the Canadian cycling scene on her cyclocross bike. “I am going to continue doing cyclocross, but not mountain biking. I may even be back at cyclocross this autumn, but my shoulder operation has to come first,” she underlined at the press conference.

Bessette’s departure leaves a major hole in Canada’s women’s cycling scene – a hole that already began with the forced retirement of Bessette’s quasi-arch rival Geneviève Jeanson, banned from cycling and coaching for life due to doping infractions.

Despite the unfortunate news, Bessette is positive about her road cycling career. “I have had a great career in cycling. My goal was to go to the Olympics, and I went twice. Now I want to ride for myself, to cook, to garden, and to spend time with my husband, family and friends,” she added.