Annemiek van Vleuten: "That's also why I stopped cycling, because I could feel that I could not develop myself any more as a cyclist"

At 41 years of age and following an unmeasurably successful career as a pro cyclist, how will Annemiek van Vleuten fare after retirement? So far so good, the Dutch rider is happy with the decision and has no regrets,

"So far, it's been better than I expected. I think after the Tour de France Femmes I was a little bit scared about not having a goal ready. I was so goal-driven. It took a bit of time to embrace that I don't have that goal," van Vleuten shared with Cyclingnews. "If I look back to my time as a student, I was really good without all those goals and I feel like going a little bit back to that time. I think for the next year I'm happy not to have it all planned."

Now van Vleuten can, after 16 seasons in the peloton, take it easy and do cycling her own way. She talks about how she may get into gravel racing - as Alejandro Valverde, in similar circumstances, did - but that so far so good. She provides some more insight as to why she decided to retire in 2023:

"If you're an athlete you need to have goals, otherwise you don't achieve anything. It's also been in my character. I like to develop myself and that's also why I stopped cycling, because I could feel that I could not develop myself any more as a cyclist.

Because of her position in the cycling world, she will continue to be a big figure regardless of what happens in years to come. However, she is very content with what she achieved. "It was an awesome journey. It gave me a lot. It also cost me something, but in general almost every year I surprised myself."

"The people I met, the countries I visited… There were also some hard times to get back together after disappointments, but there was always something and it was never boring."