Dylan Ferrandis on retiring at 32: why the risks and the losses changed his priorities

Dylan Ferrandis told host Steve Matthes on the PulpMX show that his retirement came after months of back-and-forth thinking through the 2026 season. He described a cycle familiar to many racers: after good races he thought "next year we are racing," and after bad races he felt certain it should be his last. That oscillation led him to ask himself midseason whether he wanted to race again.

Ferrandis named injuries and the mental cost of losing as the main reasons. He said he often pushed beyond safety limits in pursuit of an edge—braking later, jumping further—and that approach "cost me many, many injuries." He listed breaks and repeated injuries that added up to months off the bike and directly affected his career timeline. Missing recovery time and key events, including two opportunities to ride the Motocross of Nations in France, was a major regret.

Ferrandis framed his competitive drive as a force that both got results and caused harm. He said he "won some races and championships because I hate losing more than I love winning," a mentality that made him train harder but also made losses hard to accept. When he pushed too far and crashed, the rehab that followed disrupted seasons and motivation.

Ferrandis said Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati would have extended his contract, signaling that teams still valued him. He decided on his own timeline, influenced by the recurring inner debate after each race and the cumulative wear of crashes and rehab.

Originally his career goal was simple: "to go to the U.S. and race in the stadiums and do like them" — to follow the French riders who raced before him. Toward the end of the interview he reacted emotionally when compared to past French greats and when someone in the studio called him the greatest French rider to race in America. On a lighter note, he said that after racing he mostly wants "a nap."