ANALYSIS: Anna van der Breggen is back today! Is the former Olympic, World and Giro champion returning for Tour de France Femmes glory?

Anna van der Breggen’s comeback to professional cycling in 2025 is one of the biggest storylines of the season. Finally, today is the day of her return. After four years away from racing, the Dutch legend is set to return, bringing with her a wealth of experience, past successes, and an air of intrigue (and potential for drama) surrounding her role within the star-studded Team SD Worx - Protime.

At 34 years old, she is no stranger to competition at the highest level, but stepping back into the peloton after such a long hiatus is a challenge few have taken on successfully. Can she return to her former glory? Or will this be another case where a rider was better of staying retired?

When Van der Breggen last competed in 2021, she was still at the peak of her powers. Her farewell season included a fourth Giro d’Italia Femminile title, a dominant win at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, and victories at La Flèche Wallonne, a race she won an incredible seven times in her career. She also secured third at Strade Bianche and bronze in the Olympic time trial, adding yet another medal to her extensive collection. While she may not have won every major event that season, her consistent performances in races such as the Tour of Flanders (eighth) and Liège-Bastogne-Liège (fifth) demonstrated that she was still at her best in both grand tours and in one day events.

However, despite all these achievements, there was one glaring omission from her palmarès—she never had the opportunity to race the Tour de France Femmes. That race, which is now the biggest in women’s cycling, held it’s inaugural edition in 2022, the year after Van der Breggen retired.

That absence has led many to speculate: is this unfinished business what has pulled her back to professional cycling? The reintroduction of the Tour de France Femmes in 2022 created an opportunity she never had during her first career. Now, she has a chance to add the most prestigious Grand Tour in the world to her already glittering resume.

Perhaps, the opportunity to race for yellow is something Van der Breggen could not ignore any longer.

Van der Breggen’s return is not just about personal ambition; it also raises significant questions about the balance within SD Worx-Protime. She will be joining forces with the current world number one, Lotte Kopecky, who has made no secret of her desire to win the Tour de France Femmes in 2025. The Belgian has been clear in stating that she expects to lead the team and sees Van der Breggen as a crucial domestique for the mountains.

This is unusual for a number of reasons. Firstly, aside from Van der Breggen, Kopecky is targeting the Tour? She managed to finish second their in 2023, yes, but most would define Kopecky as more of an all round than a potential grand tour winner. Perhaps that is why she has made the Tour her goal, to see just how far her talent can extend.

But is Van der Breggen (the former Olympic, world, Giro champion) really going to be content riding in service of another rider? Some believe her return will create tensions within the team, as SD Worx-Protime already had some internal conflicts last season. Demi Vollering, for example, had a complicated relationship with the team following her controversial loss of leadership during the Tour de France Femmes. Vollering has, however, welcomed Van der Breggen’s return, stating that her presence will be “great for women’s sport” and could help elevate the level of competition even further.

That being said, managing two high-profile leaders in Kopecky and Van der Breggen will be no easy task for the team. Kopecky herself acknowledged the challenge, noting that while she admires Van der Breggen’s legacy, they will have to find a way to work together effectively. The real test will come when race scenarios develop, will Van der Breggen sacrifice personal ambitions to support her teammate, or will we see flashes of the dominant force she once was?

This situation draws parallels to Jonas Vingegaard’s first Tour victory back in 2022. In the Visma set up, you have a strange situation in that Vingegaard is the two time tour champion, but possibly not the biggest ‘superstar’ in the team. No, that status goes to Wout van Aert, but Visma still found a way in 2022 to allow Van Aert to chase his own glory whilst still riding in service of Vingegaard.

Can SD Worx-Protime learn a thing or two from Visma? Or maybe the right question is who out of Kopecky and Van der Breggen will play the role of Vingegaard, and who will play the role of Van Aert?

While Van der Breggen is one of the most decorated cyclists in history, the landscape of women’s cycling has evolved since her retirement. Riders like Kopecky and Vollering have stepped up as dominant forces, and the depth of competition in the peloton has increased dramatically. Van der Breggen herself has admitted to doubts, questioning whether she will be able to compete at the same level as before. “Am I going to be good enough?” she pondered in a recent interview, highlighting the psychological aspect of returning to elite-level racing.

Her physical readiness will also be under scrutiny. While she has remained closely involved in the sport as a sports director for SD Worx-Protime, transitioning from directing to racing is a different challenge altogether. The intensity of professional racing, the demands of stage racing, and the ability to recover day after day will test her limits. Many former riders have struggled to regain their best form after long absences, but if anyone has the capability to defy the odds, it is Van der Breggen.

Van der Breggen will return to action today at the Setmana Valenciana, alongside Demi Vollering, and we also know that she will waste no time getting involved in the biggest races this spring.

Van der Breggen has a packed spring schedule, with confirmed starts at Amstel Gold Race, La Flèche Wallonne, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, races she has excelled in before. If she can rediscover her form, she could be a key player in the Ardennes Classics once again.

Fans may put too much pressure on her in the early phases of the season to immediately return to her very best. That is unlikely, as even Van der Breggen may need time to get up to race speed, but we should know pretty quickly what sort of level she will be able to return too.

However, the biggest question mark surrounds her role at the Tour de France Femmes. Van der Breggen has never hidden her admiration for the race and has acknowledged that the opportunity to compete there is a major factor in her comeback. Will she be a super-domestique for Kopecky, or will she aim to claim the yellow jersey herself? The dynamic within SD Worx-Protime will be closely watched as the season progresses, and we may get some early indications of how that will play out in the first few months of 2025.

Regardless of how her return plays out, Van der Breggen’s comeback is a huge boost for women’s cycling. Her presence brings additional attention to the sport and will undoubtedly inspire a new generation of riders. She remains one of the most respected figures in the peloton, and even if she is not the dominant force she once was, her knowledge, aura, and leadership will be invaluable.

Demi Vollering summed up the impact best when she stated that Van der Breggen’s return would be “great for women’s sport.” It marks another step in the evolution of the women’s peloton, and the more superstars in the peloton the better.

The biggest question heading into 2025 is simple: can Anna van der Breggen still win at the highest level? While some may doubt whether she can match the intensity of the modern peloton, few would be surprised if she proved them wrong. Her past results speak for themselves, and if she can regain even a fraction of her previous dominance, she will be a formidable competitor.

Mariannae Vos is older than Van der Breggen, and is still competing amongst the very elite. No, Vos has not spent significant time off her bike, but she is an example of how the very best are capable of delaying father time somewhat.

Her performances in the early races of the season will be telling. If she shows signs of her old self, it could be a warning to the rest of the peloton that she is not just back to make up the numbers, she is back to win. And if she does manage to wear the yellow jersey Tour de France Femmes, it would be the ultimate fairytale ending to a remarkable comeback story.

Welcome back Anna van der Breggen!