One Last Dance: Closing a 17-Year Chapter on the Road

In just a few days, I will stand on the start line of my final UCI Road World Championships - and the final road race of my professional career.

It is difficult to put into words what that means after 17 years of racing in Europe at the highest level. Women’s cycling has transformed enormously during that time, and in many ways, my own career has taken shape alongside that evolution.

When I first arrived in Europe, our season was built around a World Cup series of one-day races, with an overall leader’s jersey, while the Giro d’Italia was the biggest stage race on our calendar. Over time, that landscape evolved into the Women’s WorldTour we know today, bringing more races, greater professionalism, better exposure and a calendar that more closely reflects the structure of men’s cycling.

I have been fortunate to experience some important moments along that journey. The launch of the Women’s Tour of Britain helped change the narrative around what a women’s race could be. SweetSpot brought women’s and men’s cycling under the same organisation and found a way to engage entire communities along the route. Even before there was full television coverage, the crowds and atmosphere made us feel seen and valued. Finishing second overall there in 2016 remains one of the most special experiences of my career.

Races such as Flèche Wallonne, the Giro d’Italia and Emakumeen Bira - now known as Itzulia Women - also played a defining role in my journey. Flèche, the Giro and Emakumeen Bira were among the first races that made me realise I really did have the potential to become one of the best cyclists in the world.

The story began a long way from Europe, though, with a borrowed bicycle and a pair of trainers.

I had just met Carl at university, and during our first holiday together, I travelled with him to his hometown of Knysna. I joined his family for a ride, and when we reached a steep climb, Carl and his dad decided that day that I could become one of the best cyclists in the world.

I thought they were barking mad.

I had always loved sport, but I had never found one in which I felt I could truly excel. Academics had always been where I felt most confident, and I had just started studying engineering. In my mind, my future was already mapped out: finish my degree, find a job, buy a house, get married, have children and follow a fairly conventional path.

Meeting Carl changed that path completely. He believed in me before I truly believed in myself. He encouraged me, trained alongside me throughout university and helped me discover a strength and determination I did not yet know I possessed. Through riding with the Stellenbosch Cycling Club, I grew as both an athlete and a person. Then, after graduating, we took an enormous leap of faith and moved to Europe so I could try to build a professional cycling career.

I could never have imagined where that decision would lead.

I never dreamt that I would compete at four Olympic Games, win mountain stages of the Giro, stand on the Giro podium multiple times, finish on the podium at Flèche Wallonne, win Emakumeen Bira and the Tour de Romandie, or become the first UCI Cycling Esports World Champion during the pandemic. I certainly never imagined that I would spend 17 years racing among the very best cyclists in the world.

It has not been an easy or straightforward journey. There have been victories and setbacks, moments of confidence and periods of doubt. There was the disruption of the pandemic, the constant challenges that come with professional sport and, more recently, the long road back after breaking my back in 2024.

But through every phase of my career, I have been driven by a sense of purpose. I have wanted to use my experiences and my story to inspire the people around me, to help push women’s cycling forward and to encourage more women to discover the freedom, confidence and community that can be found through riding a bike.

During the pandemic, that purpose took on a new form. Through hosting a women-only virtual ride every Monday, I discovered the power of the virtual world to help women overcome some of the barriers that can make cycling feel intimidating or inaccessible. It created a space in which women could connect, grow in confidence and discover the best versions of themselves through cycling.

That experience ultimately led me to found the Rocacorba Collective, where I discovered the extraordinary power of community. I could never have imagined how much that community would come to mean to me - or how important you would all be during the final and, at times, most challenging years of my racing career.

What makes me proudest is that I never stopped fighting. I kept believing, kept searching for ways to improve and kept showing up. And throughout it all, I had an incredible community showing up alongside me.

Now, I find myself in Montreal, just days away from my final road race.

The preparation has not been completely smooth. I have not raced as much as I would have liked during the second half of the season, but I have continued to find ways to challenge myself. Racing virtually has helped me grow stronger week by week, push beyond my comfort zone and enjoy the process of building towards one final goal on the road.

One of the most important lessons of my career came after my second Olympic Games in 2016, when the result did not unfold as I had hoped. I came to understand that the best way to approach both cycling and life is to keep showing up, give everything you have and arrive at the moments that matter as the best version of yourself.

Cycling is a sport in which you can never fully control the outcome. Tactics, crashes, punctures and countless other variables can change a race in an instant. What you can control is the work you do beforehand, the attitude you bring and the way you choose to race on the day.

So, one last time on the road, I have done everything I can to prepare. I have arrived here in good shape, confident in my form and ready to give this final road race one enormous shot.

I want to race bravely. I want to empty the tank. Most of all, I want to cross that finish line knowing that I gave everything I had, with no regrets.

My racing journey will not be completely over - there is still one final adventure awaiting me at the Gravel World Championships - but Montreal will close an enormous and defining chapter of my life.

Then, I will be ready to move into the next one: using everything this sport has taught me to help pave the way for the next generation of African cyclists. To share my experience, knowledge and belief with young riders who may not yet realise what is possible - just as I once could not imagine what was possible for me.

Seventeen years ago, I arrived in Europe with a dream that initially felt far too big.

Now, as I prepare to pin on a number for my final road race, I can look back with immense pride and gratitude. Not only for the results, but for the person this journey has helped me become, for the people who have walked it with me and for the community that will remain long after the racing ends.

One last race on the road. One final opportunity to give it everything.

No regrets.

-- Ashleigh