Professional highway and gravel biking veteran Peter Stetina will retire from competitors after the 2026 season, calling it his “Farewell Tour” for racing bikes. He used his social media and sponsor information channels to verify that after participating in a choose few gravel occasions subsequent 12 months, he’ll transfer into new roles with a number of cycling-related manufacturers, together with work as a coach for aspiring stars of off-road racers.
“I’m hanging up my skilled racing wheels within the coming season,” Stetina shared on The Feed’s Insider weblog.
“In 2026, I’ll race a restricted ‘Farewell Tour’ of the gravel races that I get pleasure from probably the most, generally with good health and generally simply to benefit from the scene. I’ll dive deeper with choose companions, using all I’ve realized in my profession to assist manufacturers and different riders succeed on their very own phrases. If Privateering has taught me something, it’s that we’re solely sure by the bounds of our creativity.
“Retirement doesn’t must be a goodbye from the house solely. I like this Gravel an excessive amount of to go away utterly and am motivated to proceed to foster this self-discipline in new methods.”
‘Feeding the Rat’
It was not all about conquering climbs and big elevation features on washed-out filth roads on his second racing profession, nevertheless. Stetina carved a path for off-road racing exterior of mountain biking and led the best way for ‘privateers’ to earn a dwelling. With Canyon as his long-time bike sponsor and unwavering help from ‘Huge Tall’ Wayne Smith as his mechanic, Stetina led by instance within the new realm of gravel.
He was executed with seasons pursuing in gravel sequence like Life Time Grand Prix, Gravel Earth Sequence and the BWR Quad-Tripel, nevertheless, and the brand new document and private finest time on Mt Washington turned Stetina’s aim in 2025.
What makes Mt Washington so powerful? Apart from variable temperatures, even in summer time, and ever-present winds, the climbing is much like that of Mont Ventoux with its relentless steepness.
The 7.5-mile stretch of pavement winds over 4,678 toes of elevation acquire to the highest of Mount Washington in New Hampshire. Within the official race up the mountain in mid-August, the 52nd version of the Mt. Washington Auto Highway Bicycle Hillclimb, former highway professional and New England native Ian Boswell bettered his buddy Stetina by one minute, 21 seconds to ascertain the brand new course document, all occasions reset in 2022 when the ultimate filth part was paved – Boswell’s time 50:15.
In mid-September, Stetina returned on a solo effort, native Auto Highway officers granting him a small window in the future for personal entry to the highway. An official clocked him at 50:30, nonetheless 12 seconds wanting Boswell’s new document and 1:06 off the historic document.
“I HAD to empty the tank alone phrases and be pleased with my effort,” he wrote on Instagram.
“‘Feeding the Rat’ is about satisfying an internal starvation—a stressed and chronic urge to check oneself, search goal, and expertise life’s heightened sensations past the unusual routine,” Stetina defined on his social media.
The 15-minute movie, ‘Feeding the Rat’ is obtainable now on the YouTube channels of Canyon and Wahoo Health.
The trouble Stetina put right into a single climb was as deep as preparations for a three-week Grand Tour. In the long run, he stated he was at peace with the hassle and consequence. Nonetheless, the New Hampshire achievement was not the top. He is bought one other 12 months in his coronary heart and head, and simply hopes the legs go alongside for the journey.
Subscribe to Cyclingnews for limitless entry to our gravel biking protection in 2026. We’ll be on the bottom on the largest races of the season, bringing you breaking information, skilled evaluation, in-depth options, and rather more. Discover out extra.
