With multiple medals under his belt, Kirsten Wild (Serratigit-WNT) can ride off into the sunset from competitive cycling. The Dutch sprinter ended her 17-year professional career with a bronze medal in Sunday's final event, the points race, at the UCI Track World Championships in Roubaix, France.

She and Amy Peters (SD Works) took the rainbow jersey for the third year in a row in the women's Madison over the weekend, extending their gold medal tally at the World Championships to 10. Wilde is a three-time world champion in scratch racing and Madison, and a two-time world champion in points racing and the omnium.

"I think I've earned my fair share of honors, both on the track and on the road," he said.

"I can look back on a very beautiful time. I would recommend it to anyone who can endure it physically and mentally. It was just a lot of fun and I'm sorry it's over now."

The points race was won by Belgium's Lotte Kopecky, with Katie Archibald of Great Britain in second place. Wilde's third place was more than she expected.

"It was a difficult race. The medal in the points race was also more than I expected," Wilde said. [Lotte was very strong. Third place against such a strong opponent was the best I could achieve. It was strange that it was the last lap. It was the last time I would run in orange. Well, I enjoyed it, but ...... It was almost painful. I'm happy to have done a very good race and to be on the podium."

"I'm very happy to have finished on the podium,"

she said.

She and Pieters have been the team to beat in Madison for years. Therefore, she was very disappointed that the pair finished fourth in the women's Olympic Madison this summer, and she herself fell in this event and was eliminated from medal contention. Ending her career as a track athlete with a gold medal in this event with Pieters was even more special.

"I'm really happy with what I was able to do in Madison. I'm very proud to have won there with Amy Peters. I actually thought this was dessert. Obviously, I wish for everything, but I think it's really nice to finish with a medal."

Wilde was one of many Serratigit-WNT athletes who represented their countries at the Tokyo Olympics, winning bronze in the omnium for the Netherlands in their third appearance.

"What a journey it has been. It started as a 'bonus year,' a long year of fighting myself after several vacations, developing Covid-19 and a serious back injury, and then I was able to compete at the Olympics and win the bronze medal in the Omnium. At that moment, I couldn't imagine standing on the Olympic podium," he posted on social media in August.

After the Olympics, the 38-year-old ended her road career at the Simac Ladies Tour when she was involved in a stage 3 crash, missing the final time to contend for a sprint victory. In her 17 years in the pro peloton, Wilde won more than 100 races.