Nicola Bagioli hangs up his bike at 26
Italian ends his career to focus on soapstone pottery business
Nicola Bagioli (B&B Hotels-KTM) announced that he will end his career as a professional cyclist at the age of 26 in order to focus on his business making soapstone pottery with his partner Arianna.
The winner of the mountains classification at Tirreno-Adriatico in 2018, Bagioli raced with Nippo-Vini Fantini from 2016-2019 before moving across first to Androni Giocattoli in 2020 and then B&B Hotels this year.
"I arrived at a time in my life when I have to choose, when I have to make an important decision and so I decided to choose with my heart, to make a choice that many may consider crazy, but that for me represents following a dream, my passion," Bagioli wrote on Instagram.
"I decided to get off the bike, end my career as a professional cyclist and terminate the contract I had with my team and dedicate myself 100% to [Lavéc - his company]."
Lavéc makes cooking pots and pans out of soapstone with copper binding and handles, claiming the material distributes heat better and is non-stick without the use of chemicals or glazes.
"From now on I will be an artisan and I will live of that, continuing to grow this reality together with Arianna, to make sure to make known more and more this wonderful world of soapstone working and to enhance an ancient tradition," Bagioli wrote.
"I want to thank all those who have supported me over the years, the teams who have believed in me, all the people on the roadside who have cheered me on (and maybe even given me a push on some tough climbs), all the teammates I've had and all the people who have shared with me the joys and hardships of cycling."
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Cyclingnews is the world's leader in English-language coverage of professional cycling. Started in 1995 by University of Newcastle professor Bill Mitchell, the site was one of the first to provide breaking news and results over the internet in English. The site was purchased by Knapp Communications in 1999, and owner Gerard Knapp built it into the definitive voice of pro cycling. Since then, major publishing house Future PLC has owned the site and expanded it to include top features, news, results, photos and tech reporting. The site continues to be the most comprehensive and authoritative English voice in professional cycling.