Ide Schelling is in the final months of his cycling career. The 27-year-old from The Hague, racing for XDS Astana, is done with the cycling world and no longer enjoys racing as much as he used to. The natural attacker shares his story on the podcast De Grote Plaat by singer Blaudzun and former rider John den Braber.
"I’m doing very well!" says a cheerful Schelling. "I feel good in myself. I’m here to share that I am going to stop racing as a WorldTour rider. And that I’m not as in love with the cycling world and life as a pro as I once was. For me, this is a very normal and logical choice. But I know many fans, fellow riders, and cycling followers don’t see it that way, so I thought: ‘this is a good moment, a good decision to talk openly and at length about it, more than just a quarter of an hour.’ That’s how I came knocking on your door."
One of Schelling’s reasons for quitting is that he no longer competes for wins in race finales. "A lot has changed in the peloton since I turned pro in 2020. All those changes have also caused the overall level in the peloton to rise so quickly that sometimes I feel I can’t keep up anymore. And that makes it a lot less fun for me. Racing has always been tough for me. I did win that stage in the Tour of the Basque Country (2023, ed.) with fresh legs, but I never finished that race because the last stage was so brutally hard."
In 2023, Schelling still won a sprint in the Tour of the Basque Country – photo: Cor Vos
Personal limitations
He was already "completely spent" by the time of that stage. Schelling continues: "I don’t have a very big engine. I know that about myself, but nowadays you need a big engine to be competitive in a finale. The race goes hard from start to finish. Because of that, I feel like I’m not really in the race anymore. But I find it important to be involved. Since the coronavirus pandemic, a lot has changed in the peloton, as some older teammates have also said. I’ve noticed that too, to put it bluntly. It’s not bad for the sport, but it is for me."
Besides that, there are many other reasons why I’ve come to the conclusion to stop. "Ultimately, it was a very easy decision for me. I always enjoyed it and, of course, cycling is my life, and I think it will remain so in the future. But not at the very highest level anymore. I still put everything into my sport every day. But during last year’s Vuelta a España, I thought: ‘it’s over.’ I rode some great performances by my standards, but I was dropped within the first fifteen."
2024 Vuelta opened his eyes
In that Vuelta, where Schelling had to step in last minute, he finished second last in the overall classification. "That’s when it became clear to me. I didn’t want to do this for the next five to ten years. It wasn’t just about speed, although that played a big role. I love racing, I love to be involved. If you can’t do that the way I want to live my life and live for my sport, it’s a lot less fun for me. [...] If you don’t want to live like a monk for this sport, you don’t compete anymore."
Schelling struggled during the 2024 Vuelta – photo: Cor Vos
"It also definitely played a role that if you have to live so completely for your sport, it’s barely manageable to have a life alongside it," he continues. "I love a lot of things outside of cycling. If you only get a few weeks a year for those, I personally find that too little. That has been a reason as well. More time for myself, more time for other hobbies, and more time to figure out what I actually want and enjoy. Relieved might not be the right word, but I stand fully 100% behind this decision."
Gardening in Spain
Schelling had a contract coming to an end, but he quickly let his management (SEG Cycling) know they didn’t necessarily have to find him a new team. Not in the WorldTour, and a ProTeam is also not an option for Schelling. "I love making things with my hands. I’d really like to get better at cooking. And I have a new dream. Over the past few years, I’ve renovated two apartments. I got a lot of pleasure out of completely remodeling them. Together with my girlfriend Hannah, we bought a beautiful 17th-century building in Campdorà."
"It comes with a nice piece of land, which we see a future in," continues the native of The Hague. "I’d like to learn gardening, grow my own vegetables, maybe create a food forest. We’re definitely going to stay there for a few years, maybe much longer. We don’t have a very strict plan. And I hope to find a way to keep cycling involved. I also hope to stay involved in racing, but maybe only half the year instead of eleven months. A nice mix between fixed gear and gravel, for example."
Natural attacker with great memories
Schelling sees himself as happier in a different role than as a pro cyclist. "I also wonder whether this is the end of my career. I’m not saying I’m retiring, that feels a bit too much. But looking back for now, the polka-dot jersey in the 2021 Tour de France was the absolute highlight. When I turned pro, I didn’t necessarily think I’d win a race or be a very good rider. I wondered if I’d ever go to the Tour. But that happened a year later with a starring role in the first week."
"I never would have thought that in my life. It was really, really special. I won’t say I suddenly became world-famous, but at least in the Netherlands," he says about that week, during which it was clear Schelling was enjoying himself. For now, he plans to give everything in the coming period. In two weeks, he rides the Canadian WorldTour doubleheader in Québec and Montréal. For the European Championships, national coach Koos Moerenhout can still call him if needed. The Hague rider will race his preliminary last event in the NIBC Tour of Holland at the end of October.
Ide SchellingNo races scheduled
Schelling with girlfriend Hannah – photo: Cor Vos
Ide Schelling| Year | Team |
|---|---|
| 2025 | |
| 2024 | |
| 2023 | |
| 2022 | |
| 2021 |
Schelling fully enjoyed the polka-dot jersey in the 2021 Tour – photo: Cor Vos
