🇮🇹🌪️🍇 It’s #StradeBianche day, ladies and gents! First up, the women’s race 🚴♀️🤘🏼 Ⓜ️ Two-time winner 🌈 @AvVleuten, @LianeLippert, @floortjemackaij, @paulapb291, @emmanorsgaard1 and @Sheyarcoiris at the start 📺 @Eurosport_ES / GCN (11.30 CET)
"I want to be at my best possible level and give my everything" - Annemiek looking for victory at final Strade Bianche
CyclingSaturday, 04 March 2023 at 12:02
Annemiek van Vleuten is retiring at the end of 2023 but her goals remain the same. The climbing legend is still looking forward to taking big wins in her final season as a pro,, and that includes Strade Bianche.
"I don't feel very different. I'm still focused. I want to be at my best possible level and give my everything, so it's nothing different. I aim to be at my best possible level," van Vleuten told Cyclingnews ahead of the race.
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A two-time winner of the race, the veteran looks to take her third title in the Italian classic. Last year she was in a tight battle with Lotte Kopecky but was defeated in the final run-up to the line in Siena. It's often a race decided on the climbs however and there she will have some advantage.
"But, yes, tomorrow after the finish on Piazza del Campo, I'll think, 'I will not be here next year,' and I will look around maybe a little bit extra to enjoy the moment. Also, my boyfriend will be at the finish line, so it's nice. And then that's it, after the finish, maybe I'll have a quick look around and think, 'that was the last one," she continued.
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Competition will be tough, including defending champion Kopecky and Demi Vollering, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, Silvia Persico and many more. The treacherous white roads where crashes and punctures are not unusual opens the race.
"I think that it's something epic to race, although I think the weather tomorrow is not going to be so epic better, still, it's very challenging. It's a bit different from other races, and I think that's also why I like it. It's not a race that suits me well. So, maybe it's also a big challenge for me, and maybe that's also why I like it," she continued.
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She will lead a strong Movistar Team including Emma Norsgaard, Liane Lippert and Floortje Mackaij. "It has quite short climbs, so the efforts are only one or two minutes in the final, for example. The short climbs are usually not my cup of tea or a place to make a difference in the race, but when it's raced really hard, it's hard."
"I think it has the most beautiful finish of our whole calendar with a finish in the Piazza del Campo in the center of Siena. I really like to race in Italy. I like the people here, the fans, and the culture, and so that's also part of it, and it's a beautiful race; hard. It has all the ingredients to love it," she concluded.
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