Lotta Henttala, a successful Finnish cyclist, has announced her retirement at 36 as she is pregnant with her second child. After turning professional in 2014 and winning six national championships, she made a comeback in 2023 after her first child. Despite a victorious run with EF Education-Oatly, Henttala expressed that returning to racing with two children would be challenging. She indicated that the growing strength of the peloton and her recent health issues contributed to her retirement decision, which felt natural given her circumstances.
Henttala stated, "This will be my second child, and for me, I think it's a little bit too hard to come back again with two kids. I think it's my time to retire."
Reflecting on her time in the sport, Henttala mentioned, "Plus, the peloton is getting so strong! I don't know if I have that much to give to racing anymore."
Henttala shared, "The decision was quite easy. Even before this pregnancy, retiring was in the back of my mind. This year I had a rough spring with illness, and I had a heavy crash last summer."
She added, "After the off-season, when I started training again, I was still thinking about that crash, and it was still mentally affecting me."
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