Outstanding New Zealand track and road cyclist, Michaela Drummond has announced her retirement from the sport.
The 27-year-old, originally from Te Awamutu, schooled in Palmerston North where she first came into prominence on the track as a junior. Drummond won a world championship title in the team pursuit at the 2015 UCI Junior Track World Championships in Kazakhstan and added two silver medals the following year at Aigle, Switzerland in the team pursuit and individually in the omnium.
While Drummond moved her professional career to the road, she returned to the New Zealand elite track team for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022, producing an outstanding ride for the New Zealand team to win a silver medal in the team pursuit. Drummond rode most of the race with two others, after their fourth rider withdrew pre-race with injury. Sprinter Ellesse Andrews started to ensure the required four riders lined up for the 4000m final. Drummond followed this with a silver medal in the individual Scratch race.
Her professional road career began in 2017 in USA, moving to Europe with BePink Continental team in 2021, Farto-BTC in 2023 and then on to French team Arkea-B&B Hotels.
Drummond won four times on the UCI Pro Tour, starting with the Tour Feminin l’Ardeche in 2023 with Farto-BTC, followed by wins in the Pays de la Loire Tour and two stages of the Volta a Portugal Feminina in 2024 with Arkea-B&B Hotels professional team.
The kiwi rider had a taste of the Grand Tours, competing in the Giro d’Italia Donne in 2021, the Tour de France Femmes in 2024 and the La Vuelta Feminina last year.
“Michaela was among the first group of female junior riders who developed into an internationally competitive bunch, and from there she etched out a career on the road in the infancy of the women’s professional scene in Europe,” said Cycling New Zealand High Performance Director, Ryan Hollows.
“It is a credit to her tenacity that she was able to progress in a very competitive professional environment, which said much for her ability and her positive personality.
“She showed her fighting spirit at the last Commonwealth Games when she was part of an injury-hit team pursuit who won a silver medal, riding much of the distance with just three riders. We wish her well in her future.”
Drummond is proud of her endeavours as a pioneer for female New Zealand riders on the UCI World Tour.
“Cycling has given me opportunities I could only have dreamed of as a young rider in New Zealand, said Drummond. “While this chapter closes, I’m excited for what comes next and deeply grateful to everyone who supported me throughout the journey.”
