Luke Durbridge on retirement, family and 20 years on the road

Twenty years after leaving Australia as a wide-eyed teenager from Perth to chase his professional cycling dream in Europe, a content Luke Durbridge says it is finally “time to go home”.

And although Durbridge will retire from the peloton with hunger still in his belly and petrol left in the tank, the veteran of 11 Tours de France is at peace with his decision.

“It had been planned for a while. In December I made the decision with my wife (Lara) and family that this (season) was going to be the last and I’m really at peace with that,” Durbridge said.

“I always wanted to make the decision myself and to finish up here at Jayco as well.

“And I wanted to retire at a high level, still able to race the big races and do my job well, not at the back getting my head kicked in.

“Potentially there was an option to stay on and maybe change the race program up a bit, but personally it’s time to go home.

“I’ve got a two-year-old now and maybe more kids in the future, we are both from Perth, and it’s been an amazing adventure but it’s time to go back and spend time with my family.

“I’ve been away for 20 years, I was in the track program and then moved into under 23s, and in that time Lara has put a lot on hold as well, so it will be nice to go back home and for her to pursue other things as well.”

The 35-year-old six-time national champion across both the time trial and road race decided to go public with his decision after finishing Paris-Roubaix last weekend.

“I’d kept my cards close to my chest until I got to the Classics. So many things can happen prior to that and I wanted to finish these big monuments and get one more Flanders and Roubaix in.

“When I knew I was on the start list for Paris-Roubaix I spoke to Gerry Ryan 10 days prior and told him I wanted to stop and thank him for everything he had done for me. Gerry has been my major supporter ever since I was a junior.

“I also got to speak to Brent Copeland and Gene Bates and the team thought it would be nice for me to finish in the (Roubaix) velodrome and announce my decision then. I’ve still got big goals for the rest of this year and will officially finish up at nationals next year, but now I can start moving forward with that out there.”

Durbridge’s retirement will mark the end of an era for Team Jayco-AlUla given he is the last remaining rider from the inaugural GreenEDGE roster in 2012.

“There are still some staff left but it’s quite unique I guess. Cycling doesn’t have that club-type of history you might refer to in AFL or rugby back home, it’s more volatile with sponsorship and rosters.

“People have asked me if I’d ever considered leaving and the grass isn’t always greener. I have really enjoyed my journey with the team – I got to do the biggest races, was respected in my role and was given a lot of say within the team and a lot of freedom.

“When I first turned pro I won quite a few races that first year, but I quickly realised my ability – or lack of a sprint – meant I would have to work out how to be a really solid teammate if I wanted to do all these big races, because I’m probably not going to get selected to climb or win a sprint.

“Winning races helps you turn pro but the way you stay in the peloton is to make sure you own your skills and strengths. I’m not saying you give up that winning drive because I’ve had victories that were really special, but I always knew that in a few months’ time I would be working on the front at the Tour de France or races like that.

“And I embraced that role. Whitey (Matt White) made sure he called it the engine room, it was a respected role in our team, and you always felt a big part of the team’s victories. I’ve always been fortunate to have leaders who have been super grateful and made you feel part of their success.” 

Durbridge said his relationship with directors and teammates had left him with lifelong bonds.

“Whitey was the one who gave me a chance all those years ago and Neil Stephens was there from the beginning,” Durbridge said.

“When you come to the end you realise it’s not the results, it’s the people. You might room with someone at a race and you get to know them sometimes more than your own family.

“I’ve had incredible teammates and it’s hard to name one. But seeing complete journeys like Mat Hayman who was a really solid teammate and good friend of mine, transition to team director and he’s still here with me.

“And when I ride through the team cars now I see Zak Dempster, Sam Bewley, Michael Hepburn, Shane Archibald, all these core guys I’ve raced with are still there.”

Durbridge made his WorldTour debut at the Santos Tour Down Under with UniSA-Australia in 2011 and has now raced it 12 times, in addition to the Santos Festival of Cycling which he won during the international Covid break in 2021.

 “Stuey won’t put my name on the steps (at the Hilton) though,” Durbridge said with a laugh.

“Look it’s my favourite race of the year, you can’t compare what Down Under means to any other race on the calendar.

“It’s been such an amazing time, I have so many great memories … we won it twice with Gerro, twice with Impey and had so many stage wins so I know that course like the back of my hand and Adelaide is like a second home.

“In 2011 I got a call up after Bobridge crashed at nationals and my first Down Under was Lance Armstrong’s last ever race, so that was pretty cool.

“Cycling is hard and sometimes you have to have a bit of fun along the way and Tour Down Under has that blend of being a good hard race, but we stay in the one hotel, it’s really well organised, there are huge crowds and the sun is shining so it doesn’t get any better.”

Durbridge will officially retire after next year’s national championships in Perth which was the scene of his most memorable national title in 2025.

“If you think about the training group we had in WA every year – Trav Meyer, Cam Meyer, Michael Frieberg, Sam Welsford, Anthony Giacoppo – we were heavily invested in the national titles every year and we all ended up getting one or more which is pretty incredible.

“Nationals are some of the proudest moments I’ve had on the bike, and it’s hard to beat last year’s win in Perth, it was 2km from my house and at that point I wondered maybe a victory wouldn’t happen again. I was OK with that, but you do think ‘oh maybe one more’ and then getting to wear the green and gold at Down Under and in Europe again was special.”

The Classics specialist and time trial expert says he will miss the adrenaline rush of racing when he retires.

“You’ve got to be a bit of an adrenaline junkie to do this sport for so long,” he said.

“I’ve had a lot of friends retire before me and I ask them what it’s like and they all say there is nothing you’ll do that will be able to replicate that feeling on the start line or the pressure of a race.

“That feeling of sprinting into the Arenberg or flying down the Gorge into the Corkscrew – I’m also happy not to be doing that again – but I will miss the pressure that comes with it.”

What he won’t miss is the not-so-glamourous side of professional cycling that many don’t see.

“I won’t miss a midnight flight with Ryanair after a Classic and getting home at 3am knowing the next weekend you’ll be doing it all again and you think ‘this is bulls**t’.

“And some of those days with 50km/h winds and rain I won’t miss them … next year if it’s raining I just won’t go out on my bike that day.”