"She simply climbs very well, and it is not a climbing course" - Annemiek van Vleuten attempts to justify Urska Zigart's Olympic non-selection
Cycling
Annemiek van Vleuten very much enjoyed her time as a regular analyst for the NOS during the Tour de France. There, she even hinted that a start on the Paris Olympics was an option, but for that, the parcours would have to be very different from what we'll see next weekend.
"I was on the plane back home, with all those cycling teams. Visma | Lease a Bike, Dylan Groenewegen. I didn't see any sick bags. I think there was some partying, but it didn't get out of hand. I actually really enjoyed doing the men's Tour, and not the women's race, because I still know a lot of people there," she said at Bureau Sport podcast shortly after the end of the French three-week race.
Now on to the Games. Van Vleuten briefly discussed Urska Zigart's non-selection. "She simply climbs very well, and it is not a climbing course. That is the reason why I am no longer there myself." Apparently, the 41-year-old from Vleuten would have liked to continue cycling if a mountainous course had been drawn up for the 2024 Games.
"Suppose they had considered setting up a course in France that would finish on the Alpe d'Huez, then I would have thought about continuing for an extra year. But now I am very happy that I stopped. I knew that there would be no course for me, and I did not want to give everything for the time trial anymore. Maybe for a road race. But, I had not even beaten the top riders, I have to say," said the reigning time trial champion. Perhaps the failed road race in 2021 is still in Van Vleuten's memory...
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- for what?frieders311-11-2026
- Blah blah blah!frieders311-11-2026
- Where Merckx just rode every single race he could and won all the time, Hinault won less often (percentage wise) because he was more judicious in what he raced. His palmares are nuts. He had amazing rivals, one to start his career and another to end it in the grand tours. His classics were solid. What sets him apart from Merckx and Pogačar are that he basically dabbled in the classics while the other two love(d) them. I used to compare Pogačar to Hinault for his grand tour record and occasional classics win, until I realized that the comparison was wrong. Pogačar loves the classics - ah, the memory of his reaction to finishing fourth in a 2 person sprint in Flanders in ‘22: utter domination in any one day race since then, even when he doesn’t win. Hinault lived for the grand tours and I don’t think anyone else will ever reach his record. 10 wins in 13 attempts? Good lord. An amazing rider. Wish there was more footage to watch.RidesHills11-11-2026
- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
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Went to the start today of @LeTour in Gap. Was nice to catch up with a lot of people I have worked with or did meet during my career. Warm welcome @GreenEDGEteam @Movistar_Team @Telefonica @albertocontador Tonight #avondetappe with @RoxaneKnetemann & @LucasHamming 10.10PM
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