Annemiek van Vleuten - about the person
- Nationality: Dutch
- Born: 8 October 1982 in Vleuten (NED)
- Height: 1.68 metres
- Weight: 60 kilogrammes
- Place of residence: Wageningen (NED)
Teams
- 2008 Vrienden van het Platteland
- 2009-2011 DSB Bank/Nederland Bloeit
- 2012-2014 Rabobank
- 2015 Bigla
- 2016–2020 Orica/Mitchelton-Scott
- since 2021 Movistar
Important successes
- 2011 Tour of Flanders, World Cup Vargarda, GP Plouay
- 2017 Boels Ladies Tour, La Course, World Champion EZF
- 2018 Boels Ladies Tour, Giro, La Course, World Champion EZF
- 2019 Strade Bianche, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Giro, Road World Champion
- 2020 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
- 2021 Tour of Flanders, Vuelta
- 2022 Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Giro, Tour de France, Vuelta, Road World Champion
- 2023 Vuelta, Giro
Annemiek van Vleuten in a TOUR interview
The interview was conducted by Tim Farin
TOUR: The women's Tour de France has been relaunched in 2022. How important is it for you in women's cycling?
Annemiek van Vleuten: Winning the Tour was the biggest victory of my career.
TOUR: Is the pressure greater for you this time than at the premiere?
Annemiek van Vleuten: It's rather lower. I already won last year. In addition, Demi Vollering has already shown this year that she can beat me (5th and 7th stage of the Vuelta, editor's note). She has the pressure. I'll be there, give it my all and don't have to put myself under pressure. Of course I want to ride at the front, fight with her. It would be nice to win again. But I'm just enjoying my last year in professional sport.
TOUR: In an interview after winning the 2022 Tour, you said: "It hasn't changed my life." What else has?
Annemiek van Vleuten: I mean it like this: winning the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Tokyo didn't change my life any more than winning the Tour. Winning something doesn't change my life. What has really changed my life is my entire career as a cyclist, which has completely changed my perspective. I think differently than before, I have seen many countries that I would never have visited without the sport.
TOUR: But when you talk about your biggest victory: Do emotions sometimes come up, do you perhaps even dream of your first Tour de France?
Annemiek van Vleuten: I never dream.
TOUR: What about memories?
Annemiek van Vleuten: When I think back, it's mainly the moments after the finish at the top of La Planche des Belles Filles when I won in yellow. I saw my family and my friend standing there as I rode back down from the finish. They were there for me. And there was also this huge sense of relief. We had really managed to fulfil our plan as a team. Until then, until the finish line, I hadn't given a thought to becoming the first female winner of the Tour de France. During the Tour, I'm only concerned with short-term goals, focussing on tasks, the route and my opponents. It was only after the finish that I slowly realised what I had achieved. I don't focus on winning during the race.
Annemiek van Vleuten does not allow herself to be stressed
TOUR: Didn't you have any stress? After all, you had a setback with the material on the stage.
Annemiek van Vleuten: I only had one flat tyre. I then immediately look: What's the next task? Then I got a team-mate's bike. Okay, that was a bit small for me. But that doesn't stress me out. I got to the front again and later swapped my yellow bike for another one. I really wanted to ride uphill with the lightest material. I didn't feel like I was losing control - I had pulled out a decent lead the day before.
TOUR: This time the Tourmalet, one of the mythical mountains of the Tour, is on the programme. Is it something special for you?
Annemiek van Vleuten: Yes, that's a big goal, just like the individual time trial. If the winner takes two or three minutes on the Tourmalet, the time trial will hardly be exciting. Of course I hope that it will either be close on the Tourmalet or that I can pull out a big lead. However, I could see in the spring that my opponents are getting stronger and stronger. My coach says it's my fault - because last year I won by a big margin - and the others are stepping up their efforts in response. But it's cool for women's cycling when it's a tough battle.
TOUR: Is that your responsibility?
Annemiek van Vleuten: I think I've played a part in that. And I'm also looking forward to switching on the TV after my career and watching exciting women's races. Until 2020, I was the only female rider to go to an altitude training camp before the spring classics. Everyone does that now. It's good that it's becoming more and more professional.
TOUR: Do you see yourself as a pioneer?
Annemiek van Vleuten: I don't know. My coach would say yes. I like what happened after I won the Tour. Normally in women's races, as a reaction to a clear victory, the routes would be made easier the following year. They didn't do that at the Tour, on the contrary. The 2023 course requires the riders to prepare even better.
Annemiek van Vleuten likes tough races
TOUR: You once called for women's races to be tougher in order to develop the sport as a whole ...
Annemiek van Vleuten: Yes, of course I say that because I like very difficult races. Basically, we need interesting races. They don't have to be as long as the men's races. Stages of around four hours would be suitable. I think the Tour organisers have done a good job, the 2023 route is very varied.
TOUR: When you see the development of the Tour de France and women's cycling - are you proud of your achievements?
Annemiek van Vleuten: We sportswomen have achieved that together. It's not my achievement that we are on TV so much. When I took my first victory in the Tour of Flanders, there was only a snippet of a second on TV because the cameras were already live before the men. What makes me really proud is the development that I have experienced together with other girls.
TOUR: As an athlete, have you worked behind the scenes to ensure that women's cycling is given more weight?
Annemiek van Vleuten: No, that wasn't my intention. But I may have made a contribution, probably with my way of racing, my aggression and ability to suffer. People like to see that. I like to talk with my legs. It was good that Marianne Vos pushed a lot, like La Course, the one-day race at the Tour de France. And now there's no turning back, women's cycling has its place, we're on our way!
TOUR: Do you regret retiring from professional sport at this point?
Annemiek van Vleuten: No, I think it's particularly nice that I made my journey during this time. It's a bit of a shame that I won't be able to experience the women's race of the Tour of Lombardy. But it's great that we might soon have a female version of every monument. That will continue.
Annemiek van Vleuten: "Draw energy from giving your best"
TOUR: As a serial winner, you say that you are not driven by victories. Explain that to me!
Annemiek van Vleuten: If I was driven by winning, I would have been depressed last year in the spring classics - because I often came second or third. I think if it was just about winning, I would be a very sad person. I draw energy from giving my best, from making a plan. It keeps me hungry. Winning is overrated. Sometimes 69th place is just as much a sporting achievement as first place. It's sad that many people only look at the winners from the outside. This reduces the beauty of sport to a few results. But it's much more about developing yourself.
TOUR: Can you still develop?
Annemiek van Vleuten: I've just had a chat with my coach about what I can adjust before the tour. I have the feeling that it's a good time to end my career this year. There are fewer and fewer details where I can still improve. Of course, there are still more races to win, but the process is over for me.
TOUR: You once celebrated a victory that you didn't have - in Tokyo 2021. How much does that still hurt?
Annemiek van Vleuten: Zero. I felt rather stupid. On the last kilometre, I suddenly thought I was going to win the Olympic road race. I didn't realise that Anna Kiesenhofer had already crossed the finish line. But I quickly got over it and won gold in the time trial a few days later. My setback in Rio was much more serious. I misjudged a bend and paid heavily for it. I had to digest that first. But in the end, even that gave me more than I lost in the race.
TOUR: The crash was potentially life-threatening. Afterwards you said: "The race gives me strength, I left my opponents behind on the uphill. That's remarkable.
Annemiek van Vleuten: I hope to inspire others. People pay far too much attention to things they can't change. I was able to take something positive with me back then.
TOUR: You enjoy your life as a professional all over the world - at the same time you seem to be a very domestic person who loves cooking and board games.
Annemiek van Vleuten: As a cyclist, I really like travelling, including the long mountain training in the south. When I train at home, it's rather unpleasant, real work. On the other hand, I also like it at home, because then I can meet my friends.
TOUR: Before professional sport, you learnt something else, worked in an office and did a degree in epidemiology. Could you return to a life like that?
Annemiek van Vleuten: No. My passion is sport. I think my strength is my mental approach to getting the best out of myself. I would like to use this to inspire young athletes, but also business people.
