"She's an inspiration to the men" - Matteo Jorgenson praises impact of Annemiek van Vleuten

As Annemiek van Vleuten continues her farewell year in the world tour peloton, Movistar teammate Matteo Jorgenson has revealed the impact of her success has crossed the gender divide and inspired the teams male riders.

“She takes us all further. She's an inspiration to the men's squad because she's so good. She takes everyone to the next level by working with us," Jorgenson tells VeloNews of van Vleuten. "She likes to train with us and is always super strong. I watch her workouts a lot and get a lot out of it."

Arguably the biggest star in the history of women's cycling, van Vleuten reportedly more than holds her own when training alongside the likes of Jorgenson, Enric Mas and Jose Joaquin Rojas at the Movistar Team.

"Annemiek simply puts her whole life into the bike and you have to be a special person to be able to do that. That sacrifice is necessary to be who she is, namely the best female cyclist in the world," Jorgenson praises. "I looked at Annemieks Strava this winter and every day she blew me away. She worked a lot more hours than I did, at 2500 meters in Colombia. She's crazy and I love it. She puts everything into it, especially now that she knows it will be her last year as a pro. Super cool!"