Interview: Professional cyclist Anna van der Breggen - Anna van der Breggen: From nurse to cycling world champion

TOUR: When you look at your career, all the victories - what are the things that stick in your mind?
Van der Breggen: I think it's more about the feeling a race gave me than the results. One of my happiest moments was when I rode to ninth place in the Tour of Flanders at the age of 22. That wasn't a podium, but confirmation: I can do this, I'm good enough. Today I often have a similar feeling when I win something. It's about being proud of yourself, of what you've achieved and how you got there. It's self-affirmation. Winning isn't everything. The gold medal in Rio didn't really change my life, even though I used to think it did. It's always about what you do with your life, not just the successes on paper.

Your career has developed rather slowly. You initially trained as a nurse. How do you view the young people who are entering cycling today?
What you see with the men is of course extraordinary, with Bernal or Pogaçar winning the Tour. That's certainly not representative, but you can see that the new generation today knows far more and is far better prepared than I was a decade ago. Examples from my team include Anna Shackley and Niamh Fisher-Black. They are so young and already so good. They can soak up so much via social media, gather so much information.

And was it different for you?
Absolutely. When I was a junior, the national coach suggested that I should buy a heart rate monitor. I had so many things on my mind: school, my first work experience, training twice a week, a race at the weekend. It was different to today, when girls already know everything about nutrition and wattage, but never have to go to their first day of practical training in a hospital like I did back then. I think that over time I got a feeling for how to deal with situations, how the body feels and what is good at any given time - no matter what the plan is today.

Next, you will become the sports director of your current team. Why did you allow yourself to be convinced after initial scepticism?
Because I didn't want my knowledge and experience to disappear from cycling. I could work as a nurse, but then everything I've learnt over the years would have disappeared from the sport. I don't want that.

At Liège-Bastogne-Liège in spring 2021, you gave the impression that you were already something of a sporting director on the bike. You seemed incredibly strong and yet you did everything you could to ensure that your team-mate Demi Vollering won.
That has to do with development. It makes me happy when my colleagues win and my team achieves something. It's about more than just me. I know Demi and her strengths in the sprint. That's why I also knew that we had the best chance of winning with her in Liège. So I organised the race so that she only had to finish in the sprint, for the good of the whole team.

You are now planning a family and would like to have children with your husband.
That's true. And that wouldn't have been compatible with my professional job. It's easier with the men, of course.

How easy do you think it is to reconcile being a sports director with being a mother?
It's just like any other job. It means an additional challenge. My husband and I will divide it up and split our time between work and family. I know that my team will take our private needs into consideration. It's certainly difficult sometimes, but it's just part of life.

What would have to happen for you to add another year to your career?
Nothing. I know it's hard to explain. Everything is going well, everything feels good - you could think about moving on. But I think my good run also has to do with the fact that it's the end and the decision has been made.

What sets you apart from Marianne Vos, who never seems to get enough?
She obviously still enjoys being a professional. That's completely okay. I'm a person who always needs significant changes. I tried that as an athlete, with mountain biking and cross. I've changed my training tactics. Now I want to do something different, not just train to be in shape for a specific race. I might miss those weeks when it comes to the victories. But I'm not in the mood for the long winter, the hard build-up work.

About the person: Anna van der Breggen

Born 18 April 1990
Place of birth Zwolle
Nationality Dutchwoman
Size 1.67 metres
Weight 56 kilogrammes
Place of residence Hasselt, Netherlands
Professional since 2012
Marital status Married

TEAMS
2012-2013 Sengers Ladies Cycling Team
2014-2016 Rabobank-Liv Woman
since 2017 Boels-Dolmans, today SD Worx

IMPORTANT SUCCESSES

2015 Giro Rosa
2015-2021 Flèche Wallonne
2016 Olympic champion road, silver EZF
2017 Amstel Gold Race
2017, 2018 Liège-Bastogne-Liège
2017, 2020 Tour of California, Giro Rosa
2018 Strade Bianche, Tour of Flanders
2018, 2020 Road World Champion, Giro Rosa
2019 Tour of California, GP de Plouay
2020 World Championships individual time trial, Dutch road champion
2021 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Flèche Wallone, Vuelta a Burgos Feminas, Giro Rosa

INFO
www.annavanderbreggen.nl