Annemiek van Vleuten: "In the Strade Bianche, I just couldn't keep up with the best in the race and that is never fun"

With her last season in professional cycling underway, Annemiek van Vleuten is trying to avoid fixating on the potential regrets that may arise from leaving some things unfinished, but this realization is slowly beginning to dawn on her.

The Dutch rider is determined to showcase her abilities one final time. “I thought: what a pity that I will never finish here again in this beautiful place, in the Piazza del Campo in Siena,” she told De Telegraaf.

She continues, “But don't get me wrong: that doesn't mean I have any doubts about my farewell at the end of the year. That is not the case. I try not to think about it too much. If I keep thinking about my farewell and the last time driving here or there, it might affect my concentration. I want to be 100 percent focused and give it my all again in all competitions.”

The start of her final season was not ideal, and she has yet to achieve her first win of the season. “It was certainly not bad what I could show in the first races, but I would have preferred to play for the win a little more often than was the case now.”

“In the Strade Bianche, I just couldn't keep up with the best in the race and that is never fun. When I narrowly lost to Lotte Kopecky in 2022, I could live with that better. Now I was just no longer there in the final when the prizes were distributed. I just need to be able to perform a little better,” concluded the Movistar rider.