Victor Lafay will be out of contract in 2027: "I'm still looking for answers," but his retirement is unofficial.

Victor Lafay hasn't yet uttered the word "retirement," but one thing is now certain: we won't see him in the peloton in 2027. The French rider continues to search for an explanation for the health problems that have plagued him for months, and so far, no answers are forthcoming.

When he won a stage at the 2023 Tour de France, it seemed like the beginning of a new era in his career, but then a real nightmare began. His move to Decathlon CMA CGM for the 2024 and 2025 seasons was hampered by knee problems. Even his move to Unibet-Rose Rockets this year didn't pay off: Lafay never even wore a number on his back for the Dutch team.

The reason is extreme fatigue that has plagued him since the beginning of the year, though no one has yet identified the cause. His one-year contract with the team is now expiring, and Lafay finds himself without a team for 2027.

"What's certain is that in January 2027 I won't have a contract, and what's more, I'm not looking for one," he declared in an interview with the French newspaper L'Équipe . "Now I just want my health to improve. I'm already starting to think about other projects, not sporting ones."

Physical problems first emerged in February, after a first winter training camp with Unibet-Rose Rockets that ended with encouraging results. Nine months later, the Frenchman still seems far from solving the puzzle.

"We checked their hearts, their lungs, we looked for different types of viruses, really everything. All the results say they're in good health. We still don't know what's causing all this. It's hard to live with," she said.

Lafay then described how difficult the situation is even in everyday life: "When I went shopping or to buy bread, when I got home I had only one desire: to sleep. I get exhausted very quickly. Now it's a little better for everyday things, but from a sports perspective it's a disaster. Last week I went hiking up to a temple in Asia. Three years ago it took me an hour. This time it took me four to go up and four and a half to come down."

The search for a diagnosis continues: "I'm still trying to figure out what's wrong. As soon as I get back to France, I need to take more blood tests. I'll go to a renowned virology center in Paris. We're evaluating the possibility of a tropical disease, a long-term Covid..."

The Frenchman knows he won't be able to race professionally in 2027 and is already considering potential avenues outside of cycling, but he hasn't closed the door completely. "I don't want to say it like that. In my head, it's not official," he explained, suggesting a sense of "unfinished business" at not being able to compete in a single race in 2026. "I'm still holding on to a little hope. You never know."