Ruth Winder is a powerhouse.
She would politely disagree, but one look around Boulder Grupetto where her jerseys and prizes adorn the walls and top every shelf, builds enough of a case.
A two-time Olympian, overall winner of the Santos Tour Down Under, victor at the 2021 Brabantse Pijl Dames by mere millimeters over Demi Vollering, and so much more, Winder’s palmarés paint a picture of a champion. Yet when I spoke to her in October at Boulder Grupetto, Winder had already retired and was learning to “de-train” by eating confections, drinking a beer every so often, going on “hikes,” (yeah, I had never heard of that either…sounds weird) and—gasp!—missing a training ride or two.
Winder left the sport at the height of her career, but she does not regret it. Her new home needed paint on the walls; her fiancé Zach appeared only on Zoom calls for far too many months out of the year; and her dog needed walks, after all. In other words, another life was calling and Winder was ready to answer.
Life in cycling, after cycling
Kidding aside, the transition from racing life to ‘civilian’ life isn’t easy on the body or the mind. Winder has kept busy by relying on friends to get her into new activities like nordic skiing, but she admits that she has been addicted to exercise for most of her life. So the transition hasn’t been easy.
But she hasn’t left the sport entirely. Just a few days after officially retiring, Winder watched her teammate Lizzie Deignan win the first-ever Paris-Roubaix Femmes as a fan on the side of the road. Bicycle racing is fun after all, and Winder is fortunate enough to have left her career behind at exactly the right moment: At the top, while the love is still strong.
She’ll also represent women’s cycling as the UCI athlete representative, along side her counterpart, Philippe Gilbert. Her place in cycling seems reserved for her, even if her role has changed.
Winder’s career has indeed impressed. But it’s clear after just a few minutes of chatting that she’s ready to discover what else this life has to offer, even if it’s just something as simple as getting out of bed whenever she wants to…especially if it’s her own bed.
Be sure to watch the video to see the entire interview.