Anna van der Breggen's comeback: Vague goals, no race starts before mid-April

There was a great deal of interest in Anna van der Breggen's first official appearance as a comeback professional cyclist - at the presentation of her old and new team SD Worx - Protime. And so were the expectations in her cycling-loving home country, the Netherlands. But the 2016 Olympic champion put the brakes on expectations.

First race start on 18 April

The first race start is not planned until the Arrow of Brabant on 18 April. Surprisingly late - given the urgent need to catch up on racing and the comeback planned since June 2024. "I have the time to see when I'm ready to race. I don't want to start too early," she said in an interview with Dutch TV station NOS, explaining the unexpected delay. Of course, modesty and restraint are trumps - in view of the comeback at an advanced age and in view of the fact that the standard in the international women's peloton has risen significantly within a short space of time. At present, one can only assume that the once world's best female cyclist had imagined an easier way back.

Pressure from the sports director?

Sporting Director Danny Stam commented on the plans during the presentation: "I think the Arrow of Brabant will be a great start. From now on, she must be doing better than ever before. Because the other top riders like Vollering and Katarzyna Niewiadoma have also improved." It sounded like a warning between the lines. Especially as the returnee is also taking a risk with the late start to the season: Expectations are particularly high in the Ardennes classics - these races basically suit her and she has celebrated great successes there, which she would now have to build on from a cold start, so to speak. She has already won the Amstel Gold Race, Liège-Bastogne-Liège (twice) and Flèche Wallonne (seven times).

Noticeable deficits in the training camp

At the beginning of the year, she still seemed a long way from race form - not only in relation to the world's best, but also to her team-mates. Training together was already going well in the basics, but she did not yet have the necessary form for the hard interval training, van der Breggen reported from the training camp. Surprisingly, however, it was publicised at the same time that the team is planning to enter the returnee in the Tour de France Femmes in July. A race in which team-mate Lotte Kopecky is expected to be in contention for victory and will need a high-calibre ensemble in top form. It will be exciting to see how van der Breggen finds her way in the significantly stronger women's peloton in her first year. Especially as the ambitious former captain may have to make do with being a highly decorated helper in the future. Most recently, van der Breggen worked for three years as sporting director at SD Worx, but reportedly did not feel ready for a permanent role in the team car.

Anna van der Breggen: Disappointing conclusion to 2021

She left professional cycling at the end of the 2021 season after a disappointing Olympic campaign. Originally, her big goal was the Olympic Games in Tokyo. In the road race, the outstanding Dutch team was duped by soloist Anna Kiesenhofer - van der Breggen and her colleagues showed no signs of teamwork to live up to their role as favourites and prevent the outsider from winning the Olympic Games. Van der Breggen, who had celebrated as Olympic champion herself in Rio, retained bronze in the individual time trial - clearly distanced by compatriot Annemiek van Vleuten in gold. She finished her last race for the time being, the World Championships around Leeuven in Belgium, in 89th place - as part of a poorly led selection in Oranje. A few months earlier, van der Breggen had celebrated her fourth overall victory at the Giro d'Italia - it was her 62nd and, for the time being, last victory as a cyclist.

Why the comeback?

The exact motivation for the comeback after a three-year break, a time in which women's cycling has developed massively, remained hidden from observers. "Van der Breggen is still finding it difficult to set herself goals for her comeback season," was the verdict of Dutch TV station NOS on the vague statements made by the former world champion at the start of the year. In the past, the ambitious athlete always seemed to measure herself by results and victories. Success that seems further away than ever. Nobody seems to know whether she will be able to build on her former performance. Before her return to the racing saddle, she emphasised that she was not interested in winning, but rather in having fun in sport and competitions. But does the sponsor pay for the athletes to have fun? Or does he want measurable success, victories?

What strategy is the team pursuing with Anna van der Breggen?

In fact, van der Breggen sounded even more ambitious and confident months ago than she did in the new year. She wants to be even stronger in the future than she was before her retirement in 2021. The strategy of the sponsor and team is even more surprising than the athlete's motivation. The team, which will have to make do without the top riders Demi Vollering, Marlen Reusser and Niamh Fisher-Black who have left the team for the new season and has to defend its reputation as the world's best team for years, would actually have needed the former world number one in top form quickly in view of the lack of reinforcements for the new season.