DUBAI — Safiya Al Sayegh, the women's peloton's only hijabi rider, has retired from professional cycling aged 25 for religious reasons, ending a 10-year journey that saw her represent the United Arab Emirates at the Olympic Games. The Emirati, who turned professional with UAE Team ADQ in 2022 as their sole Emirati rider, announced the decision on Instagram, saying what "feels wrong deep in my heart can't keep going on".
"The past couple of years have been tough mentally, not because this sport is tough, but because I found myself in an identity crisis. Being a Muslim woman that fully believes in covering and dressing modestly, and a girl that just loved racing, riding a bike, and that loved sports," Al Sayegh wrote. She added: "This year I finally took the decision in sake of obedience to Allah and the rules of my religion upon female attire and what I believe to be right over what I have loved and kept behind in my mind for so longggg." She continued: "Proud to have represented my country and to have tried my best in all the stages of my career, but what feels wrong deep in my heart can’t keep going on."
Al Sayegh raced in a hijab and full-length kit throughout her career — the only rider in the professional peloton to do so — and won multiple national titles in the UAE, finished on the podium at the Asian Continental Championships and represented her country at the Olympic Games. In 2026 she stepped down from the WorldTour to ride for UAE's development team, which is closing its doors at the end of this season, though her own personal values appear to have influenced her decision as much as the closure of her team.
As the only Emirati woman in the professional peloton for several years, Al Sayegh has spoken of the "big honour" of paving the way for other cyclists from the UAE, helping compatriot Zahra Hussain join the development team and supporting the Emirati Talent Program. "We have introduced the Emirati Talent Program where the team is supporting, coaching and offering local riders experiences with pro riders, training camps with us, and a lot more along the way, so it's definitely a good step for Emirati women aspiring to become a pro," she told Cyclingnews in 2024. Away from the bike, she completed a degree in graphic design at the American University in Dubai, serves as a board member of the Dubai Sports Council and is married to fellow Emirati cyclist Abdulla Jasim Al-Ali, who rides for UAE Team Emirates Gen Z.
"For a while I have thought deeply what I’d like to be remembered by and I hope it can be good manners, smiles, trying my best to spread joy to the people around me, and a Muslim woman that tried her very best to show, wherever she went around the world, how lovely Islam is and that it is a religion of peace, balance, and obedience to our creator, Allah," Al Sayegh said, thanking UAE Team ADQ for five seasons of support helping her reach "the furthest of my limits for my country".