Beloved, outspoken and twice controversially disqualified: This was the career of Luke Rowe

It’s rare these days to find riders who stay with the same team for their entire career. But when it happens, it’s usually a sign that you’re dealing with a unique character. Luke Rowe, after 13 years with Sky/INEOS, has finally hung up his bike. IDLProCycling.com takes a look back at his remarkable career.

Rowe was born on March 10, 1990, in Cardiff, Wales. He’s still a proud Welshman to this day, as you can often hear on the Watts Occurring podcast, which he co-hosts with his friend and teammate Geraint Thomas. Now that he’s officially retired from professional cycling, he’s returning to his roots from his base in Monaco.

Like many British cyclists, Rowe trained on both the track and the road. In 2007, he became European junior champion in team pursuit with Adam Blythe, Peter Kennaugh and Marc McNally, and the following year, he won the European Madison title with Mark Christian. He also made an impression on the road in the Netherlands: in both 2009 (ahead of riders like John Degenkolb, Taylor Phinney, Elia Viviani and Alexander Kristoff) and 2011 (beating riders like Arnaud Démare), he won the prestigious ZLM Tour.

Rowe quickly made a name for himself on the strong Sky team

When Team Sky was founded in 2010, they always had a place for top British talent, and Rowe joined the WorldTour team in 2012. In his debut year, he immediately scored the biggest victory of his career by winning the opening stage of the Tour of Britain, outsprinting Boy van Poppel in Norfolk.

The following year, Rowe got his first taste of the tough elbow-to-elbow racing of the Flemish spring and had his first chance to experience a grand tour with the Vuelta a España. He rode the Vuelta again in 2014, and in 2015, the 1.85-meter Brit made his Tour de France debut with Sky.

In those early years, Rowe — like every neo-pro — had to find his direction. He likely realized that winning would be tough for a rider of his type, but there was always a need for strong, loyal riders. Sky lost the Tour in 2014 to Vincenzo Nibali, but with Rowe on board, Chris Froome reclaimed the title in 2015. Together with Ian Stannard, the powerhouse drove the peloton’s pace for kilometers on end.

With that first of what would become eight Tours under his belt, Rowe carried his form into the following spring. In Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, he made it to the final selection but ended up outpaced by Greg Van Avermaet, Peter Sagan and Tiesj Benoot in a group of four. Two months later, he was close again in the Tour of Flanders, finishing fifth. Then he eagerly returned to the service of the victorious Tour team of Froome.

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Highs and lows for Rowe

In 2017, Rowe claimed his second and last pro victory, a stage in the Herald Sun Tour. This was a prelude to a strong Opening Weekend, where he placed sixth in Omloop and third in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. He couldn’t carry that form into the Monuments, but Froome won another Tour. Paris would be Rowe’s last race of the year, though, as he suffered a horrific injury in August: at his brother’s bachelor party, he jumped into shallow water while rafting and sustained 25 fractures in his lower leg. "I knew it was bad. They told me I might never ride a bike again. That was probably the worst moment of my life," he later shared.

After months of rehabilitation, he made an unexpectedly quick return, though 2018 didn’t go as planned, partly due to a disqualification for riding on the sidewalk in the Tour of Flanders. "It was either crash or go onto the path. I don’t agree, but I have to accept it." Nevertheless, that season became unforgettable, as Rowe played a key role in Thomas’s winning Dauphiné and Tour teams in June and July. His season ended earlier than expected, though, after he discovered weeks after finishing 15th at the European Championships that he had broken his wrist.

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René

@RenAigu

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Replying to @LukeRowe1990

Do not agree, this shows that you had plenty of room and time to make another decision - at the cost of positions, the rules are interpreted fine on this. The rules are harsh and not followed through equally, but this is a valid DQ.

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2019 was another notable year for the Welshman, who played a crucial role in the Tour of France after a strong spring. However, he didn’t make it to the end of the race due to his second disqualification in 18 months. This time, he was caught on camera in a clash with Jumbo-Visma rider Tony Martin, who was also disqualified.

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In 2020, COVID-19 changed the landscape for many riders and teams, including Rowe. Sky, now Ineos, lost the Tour to Jumbo-Visma and Pogacar for the first time in years, a gap they haven’t closed since. Rowe remained a valued team member but felt the shift. In the Ventoux stage won by Wout van Aert in 2021, he finished outside the time limit. "The lights just went out," he said.

Rowe feels the peloton's level increased post-COVID

Ultimately, the Tour de France — the defining race of the domestique’s career — of 2022 would be his last, as he wasn’t selected for 2023 or 2024. "For 20 days, we pushed each other to the limit from kilometer zero to the finish. The racing was unbelievable, day in and day out. It felt like a series of one-day races. It was my toughest Tour ever," he said after reaching Paris in 2022.

By late 2023, it was clear that INEOS was looking to the future. Rowe had spent the summer preparing to ride the Vuelta with Thomas, but the team chose to give the young German Kim Heiduk the opportunity to grow into the role of road captain. This may have been a breaking point for Rowe, who, after missing selection, decided to distract himself by going out. Nevertheless, he extended his contract by one year.

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In 2024, he didn’t even get another chance to prove himself in a grand tour, as his career came to an unfortunate end on the Flemish cobbles. In the opening phase of the E3 Saxo Classic, he had an awkward crash that initially didn’t seem serious. However, the resulting concussion lingered, affecting him mentally and physically, and he later announced his retirement. Unfortunately, his wish to end his career in the Tour of Britain did not come true.

What’s next? During his career, Rowe often expressed a desire to become a team director, and INEOS seemed like the ideal opportunity. But Rowe chose differently, joining Decathlon AG2R from next season. "The last years with Sky and INEOS Grenadiers were great, but a change is good. There’s no reason I didn’t want to stay with INEOS. I just think change is good right now. Maybe I’ll go back one day. I’ll be a sporting director focusing heavily on the spring classics," he said on the podcast Watts Occurring.

Let’s hope the experienced powerhouse with his sharp insights continues contributing to that podcast. Enjoy your retirement, Luke!

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