After a 15-year career in professional bike racing, Nikki Brammeier announced her retirement from the sport today.
Brammeier leaves an impressive legacy in mountain biking, road, track and cyclocross in retirement. She is the current and 4-time British National Cyclocross champion and finished as high as 4th at the 2015 World Championships in Tabor and represented Great Britain at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Her cyclocross palmares include 12 World Cup and 4 European Championship podiums.
In recent years, Brammeier focused specifically on cyclocross with her Mudiiita program and was frequently in the mix at European races.
Brammeier joins Helen Wyman, Jeremy Powers and Kevin Pauwels as riders who have announced their respective retirements following the 2018/19 cyclocross season.
Brammeier has been a front-row regular at Euro cyclocross races. 2018 World Cup Bern, Switzerland. © E. Haumesser / Cyclocross Magazine
Brammeier’s retirement announcement was accompanied by the news that she is pregnant with her and husband Matt’s first child. “Baby B” is due in November, and was along with Brammeier when she recently completed the London Marathon.
Nikki and Matt Brammeier will soon be welcoming an addition to their family. photo: courtesy
Brammeier wrote about the decision on her website.
Deciding to end my career at this time hasn’t been an easy decision. To begin with, I really wanted to take a year out and challenge myself to come back to race again. However, with a lot of thinking time and reflecting on my last 15 years, I decided it was time for a new chapter.
For me, our first baby is something I want to fully enjoy and embrace, I don’t want to sacrifice that time, and I know to be one of the best cyclists in the world you need to fully commit and do it with your whole heart, it’s too hard not to.
We wish Brammeier the best in retirement and hope for good health for Baby B.
