Anna Shackley forced to retire due to heart irregularities

SD Worx-Protime confirmed that Anna Shackley has been forced to retire from professional cycling due to heart problems. Shackley has undergone multiple tests since January, and her medical team confirmed that she suffers from cardiac arrhythmia and other heart irregularities.

SD Worx-Protime also confirmed that she immediately stopped training and racing. Her medical team concluded that the heart irregularities were not compatible with a top-level sports career.

"Cycling has been my entire life for as long as I can remember and unfortunately it has come to a premature ending," Shackley wrote on Instagram. "It’s been an incredibly fun time with many ups and downs all while meeting some of my closest friends and travelling the world.

"I had many plans and ambitions for the future and that being taken away from me has been very hard. However, I count myself lucky to have had the unique experience of being a professional in hobby. Wee Anna would never have believed that.

"I’m not quite sure what the near future holds but I’ll learn to adapt to my new normal. I’ve had a lot of messages of support since the news came out and they’ve been very touching. It may take me a wee while to reply but it doesn’t mean I haven’t seen them."

Shackley last competed with SD Worx-Protime at the 2023 European Championships, where she was second in the under-23 women's road race in September.

SD Worx-Protime stated that she was first diagnosed with cardiac arrhythmia in January. She then underwent a heart screening in Maxima Medisch Centrum in Veldhoven in collaboration with the SD Worx-Protime's medical team, where doctors found several irregularities.

At this point, Shackley was taken off the bike and underwent extensive tests and procedures at the hospital in Barcelona.

Shackley is from Milngavie, north of Glasgow in Scotland, and was a graduate of British Cycling’s Performance Pathway Academy, which is focused on developing the nation’s top talents.

Shackley, now 22, began racing at the junior level with success, finishing third overall at the Watersley Ladies Challenge, a UCI-sanctioned Nations Cup, along with finishing 12th in the junior road race at the World Championships.

She then turned professional with SD Worx in 2021 when she was 19 years old and competed with British Cycling at the Tokyo Olympic Games in the road race and time trial.

Shackley developed with SD Worx-Protime with guidance from the world's top riders, including Anna van der Breggen. She is known for her strengths in the mountains, and her top results have included top-10 overall performance at the Tour de Romandie, Challenge by La Vuelta, and UAE Tour.

She has also had strong performances in the overall classifications at Giro d'Italia, Tour of Scandinavia and the Women's Tour, all 13th places, and at the Vuelta a Burgos, where she finished 14th overall.

"We are very sorry to see Anna's cycling career end like this," indicated SD Worx Protime sports manager Danny Stam.

"She was one of the bigger talents in the women's peloton. We saw in recent years that she was making good progress and we believed she could grow to the world top.  It is especially unfortunate for her that she is now forced to stop. 

"On the other hand, we are also happy that we were able to prevent any more dangerous complications. We hope Anna can return to her 'normal' life and we will work with the team to see how we can help."