May 25, 2006 – Yesterday, in an emotion-filled press conference, Canada’s top female cyclist, Lyne Bessette, announced she was retiring from international road competition, after a 13-year career that led her to two Olympic Games, two Commonwealth gold medals, and an array of Canadian Championship medals – and let’s not forget two overall wins at the Tour de l’Aude, in France. This year’s Tour de l’Aude, ironically, was going to be her swan song. Pedal spoke with Bessette, 24 hours after she announced her decision.

First, let’s get the story straight: you are retiring from road races and MTB, but you’re still leaving a door open for cyclo-cross.

Lyne Bessette: Exactly. I’ll still do some MTB for my own amusement, but no competitions. As for cyclo-cross, I have to wait and see how my shoulder is going to heal, and also what’s on hand for the rest of the season.

In your press conference yesterday, you spoke extensively about your physical injuries, and the toll that more than 10 years of intense competition took on your body. Has it taken a great toll on you mentally?

LB: Of course it has. After that many years on the international circuit, the mental part of racing plays a big role. It was, actually, one of the main reasons that led me to decide to hang up the bike.

Are you excited about leading a normal life? It will be a new life for you after all.

LB: Well, it won’t be a quiet, peaceful life, because my husband (Tim Johnson) is also a cyclist. The beautiful part is -I’ll be able to cheer him on now and spend more time with him.

What about coaching?

LB: Not yet. I want to transmit my knowledge and experience to future generations of cyclists, but not via coaching, because that involves a form of commitment for which I am not ready just yet.

Speaking of future generations, will you be following the younger riders? They now have to carry the torch.

LB: I built a lot of nice friendships over the years, especially with younger girls, like Audrey (Lemieux), a former teammate, and lots of others. Joelle Numainville is another girl with great potential, so is KKarol-Ann Kanuel, whose development I want to follow.

What are Lyne Bessette’s projects in the near future?

LB: Some time to myself, first and foremost, and afterwards I have a few projects waiting for me, with Énergie-Cardio (a well-known chain of gyms in Quebec). I also have projects in cooking, and plenty of other ideas in the back burner. I enjoy cooking a lot, so it is a field I would like to explore.

I actually heard rave reviews about your cookies from my colleagues.

LB: Oh really? (laughing) You’re welcome to check it out for yourself.

At 31, the biological clock continues to tick for you. Are you thinking about raising a family?

LB: Not in the near future. Tim and I definitely want children, but I want to take some time for myself first, as I said earlier. For the next few weeks, I have stuff to take care of around the house, I also have lots of friends I unfortunately haven’t seen in years. But overall, I’ll stay active. It is within me, I need to move, it’s a matter of staying in shape, staying healthy. Hopefully, I can at last enjoy a nice bike ride, without the stress of the competition, just quietly enjoying the landscape.

I’m still a little flustered about the timing of your announcement, only three days before the World Cup road race in Montreal. Wouldn’t it have been nice for you to have given it one last shot, to end your career in front of the thousands of fans that have supported you over the years?

LB: Absolutely not. After I came back from the Tour de l’Aude, I knew it was over. Furthermore, it’s not like me to race at only half of my expectations.

Lyne Bessette has no regrets about leaving the international scene. The tears she shed at the press conference on Wednesday were genuine – you cannot halt such an illustrious career without a little pinch in the heart. But at the same time, we can only wish her all the best after all the thrills and excitement she has provided us with for many years.

And about those cookies, well – the heck with my diet!