Magnus Cort to retire after the 2026 season
Magnus Cort celebrating this year’s win! Photo: GettySport
Magnus Cort will retire after this season, ending a long career at the highest level of cycling — but not before giving Uno-X Mobility everything through the rest of 2026.
The Danish rider has already shown this season that the legs are still there, taking a stage win at Volta a Catalunya and finishing third on Stage 3 of Tour de Suisse. For Cort, the decision is not about no longer being able to perform. It is about timing, priorities and choosing the right moment after more than a decade in the peloton.
“I still feel that I am riding at 100%, but I have been in this for many years, and there is a lot you have to sacrifice to be part of it. You eventually start becoming ready to stop.”
Cort joined Uno-X Mobility ahead of the 2024 season. Since then, he has been part of a defining period in the team’s history: from ProTeam to WorldTour, from chasing wild cards for the biggest races to earning its place on the biggest start lines.
When he signed his current contract, Cort already had a feeling it could be his last. Still, there is nothing passive about the rest of the season.
“I will do everything I can to get a few more good results. In the Tour de France, it would be absolutely fantastic to get a result, or to help Tobias to a good result. I might also ride the Vuelta, and a Grand Tour win in my last season would make me leave professional cycling in the best way.”
A big part of the Uno-X journey
When Cort came to Uno-X Mobility, it was not the obvious move from the outside. He arrived from a WorldTeam and stepped into a team still building its place among cycling’s biggest names. For Cort, the decision made sense.
“It was a bit risky, of course, but I was not afraid of it. Uno-X was already at such a high level that I knew the team would give me the same opportunities, maybe with even more support than from other teams. It did not feel like a step down — and looking back, it obviously wasn’t.”
Use the arrows below to see some of Magnus’ highlights in red and yellow!
His three seasons in yellow and red have also given him something he says is rare in professional cycling: a team environment that feels different.
“I have enjoyed this team and the camaraderie. It is completely unique for a professional team. I have not experienced that before. I am happy to have been part of this journey. The team has been on a longer journey, but my three years have been fantastic — from ProTeam to WorldTour — and really feeling that you have contributed to that.”
His best Uno-X memory might be a surprise to many. It came at Veneto Classic, where he rode solo to victory in the final race on the European calendar.
“It was a cool race to win and the only time I rode home alone. It was unique to win a one-day race, because I have not won many of those. It was a nice way to end a season.”
Friends, not just colleagues
For Cort, the Norwegian-Danish identity of Uno-X Mobility has been one of the things that made the team special. Shared languages. Similar cultures. A familiar way of being together.
“I think it creates a different camaraderie between the riders. You understand each other more, and people more or less speak each other’s languages. The cultures are very similar as well, even though there are some Norwegian references we Danes do not always understand.”
The team has also had few changes in recent years, with many riders knowing each other long before Cort arrived.
“It has been a team with very few changes. Even though I have only been part of it for three years, most of them have been here longer, and you can feel that they know each other. They are really friends you travel with, and not just colleagues.”
That is also what he expects to miss the most.
“I do not quite know what I will miss, but I will probably miss the camaraderie at Uno-X. Not going out on trips and seeing your friends, and not having that community anymore.”
New heights, different rhythm
Cort will leave professional cycling with a career few riders ever come close to.
He has won stages in the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España — joining an exclusive group of riders with stage victories in all three Grand Tours.
“It is special. It was also a goal at one point. I am proud of that. I took my first professional wins in 2013, so it has been a very long career at the highest level.”
His biggest cycling memory remains his first Tour de France stage win in 2018.
“I had always watched the Tour de France, for as long as I can remember, even before I started cycling. So to arrive at the final boss and take a stage win in the Tour de France — that was big.”
After the season, Cort does not have a detailed plan. First, he wants time away from the structure of professional cycling — and a long trip to Nepal is already booked.
“I do not have any concrete plans. Now I am going to enjoy life and find out what it is all about not sitting on a bike.”
And the hotel room ratings — will they retire as well?
“I do not have plans for the ratings, but there will probably be some here and there. Not so many, but maybe they will come. The fans just have to follow along — and I hope to surprise them.”
With Sunday’s Danish National Championships most likely to be the final race of his career on home soil, we share the news about Magnus’ future and thank him for the memories already created in red and yellow. At the same time, he is fully committed to preparing for his final Tour de France. We wish Magnus and the rest of the team the best of luck. The story is not finished yet, and we would not mind one final moustache win on the biggest stage of them all.
The Tour de France starts on 4 July. Magnus will be joined by Tobias Halland Johannessen, Anders Skaarseth, Søren Wærenskjold, Anthon Charmig, Jonas Abrahamsen, Anders Halland Johannessen and Torstein Træen. Tobias will lead the GC project, aiming for the top 5 overall, while the team arrives with opportunities to attack and chase victory on several stages.
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Image credits: Getty Images, Uno-X
For more information, contact:
Herman Borgstrøm, Senior Content Producer
+47 40465498
herman.borgstrom@unox.no