AusCycling joins the Australian cycling community in congratulating two-time national champion Sarah Roy upon her retirement from professional cycling.
Roy announced her retirement in a social media post at the end of August. Her last race was the Simac Tour in the Netherlands, which concluded on Sunday.
It was a full-circle moment for Roy, who clinched her first professional stage win at the same race back in 2016.
“Cycling has given me so much. Sport really is a school for life and my journey has been one of transformation. I’m incredibly proud to be leaving the peloton a better version of myself than when I arrived, alongside women’s cycling having also grown significantly,” the 39-year-old from Sydney wrote in her post.
“I feel so privileged to have worked and raced together with such big figures and good people of our sport - To every team and teammate I’ve ridden with, every staff member who had my back, every sponsor and supporter, every volunteer and those who fight for the growth of our sport, to my country and federation, to my coach, to the women that paved the way before me, and to my fellow racers today — thank you!”
Sarah Roy won the road national title in 2021. Photo: Con Chronis
Roy’s cycling career spanned more than a decade. She was originally a triathlete before turning her focus to road cycling in her early 20s.
At age 27, Roy turned professional in 2013 with the French team known today as FDJ-Suez before joining Australian outfit GreenEdge Cycling from 2015 to 2021.
She credited and thanked the “local clubs, state institutes and the people within them” for their support especially during her formative years, among them Randwick Botany CC, St George CC, Sydney Uni Velo Club, and Parklife CC.
In early 2014 she won her first national title, shocking the favourites to take win the elite criterium crown in Ballarat.
Seven years later, in 2021, she got her biggest win on home soil, soloing to victory in the Australian road race national championships after attacking from the early breakaway.
While not a pure sprinter, Roy combined a strong engine, mental toughness and a fast finish to seize her opportunities throughout her career.
She won bronze in the road race at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
She earned two WorldTour wins each in 2017 and 2018, both at the Women’s Tour in Great Britain. Her last professional victory, earned in typically gritty style, was a stage win at the 2024 Bretagne Ladies Tour, where she won a sprint from the breakaway.
During her career, Roy also became an integral member of the Australian Cycling Team, representing Australia at seven UCI Road World Championships and two Commonwealth Games.
At the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, Roy helped deliver Chloe Hosking to a gold medal in the road race, and in 2022 at Birmingham she won bronze while Georgia Baker won gold.
She also represented Australia on the track at the 2022 Games, placing fourth in the individual pursuit.
At the 2022 world championships in Wollongong, she was part of the bronze medal-winning Australian squad in the mixed relay team time trial, racing alongside Baker, Alex Manly, Luke Plapp, Luke Durbridge and Michael Matthews.
Roy (front left) helped Australian win bronze in the mixed relay team time trial at Wollogong. Photo: Getty
Jesse Korf, AusCycling’s Executive General Manager Performance, said: "Roy’s career is one to be truly celebrated, not only for its longevity or the results she delivered on the road, but for the leader she became along the way.
"She has been a cornerstone of the national team, guiding and mentoring the next generation of riders during our 'summer of cycling’ campaigns, and playing a pivotal role in shaping the culture of teams such as GreenEdge and Canyon-SRAM. Her willingness to stretch her horizons, whether on the road or in her Commonwealth Games campaigns on the track, speaks volumes about her courage and commitment to the sport.
“More than anything, Roy’s legacy is in the impact she has had on others: elevating teammates, supporting younger riders, and setting an example of professionalism and generosity that will resonate well beyond her own results. On behalf of AusCycling, I thank her for her remarkable contributions, wish her every success in the next chapter of her life, and affirm that she will forever be a celebrated and valued member of our alumni. I am personally proud of the leader and person she has grown into."