"There is still that urge to improve myself" - Annemiek van Vleuten unsure of retirement plans

At 39 years of age most riders would be on the brink of post-retirement, but not Annemiek van Vleuten, who had dominated the women's calendar this year by winning the Giro, Tour, Vuelta and World Championships. However she does not know when she will stop.

“I would prefer to stop if I think: I'm starting to get less now. But this is really my best year ever," the veteran said in an interview with RTL4. "I will be 40 next week, which is really unbelievable. But it is my riding force to get better.”

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Part of the peloton since 2008, van Vleuten is one of the most long-standing representatives of women's cycling. She's always been a big figure, but in recent years her level has been improving, and this year she accomplished a feat that even by her standards was incredibly impressive.

She's won The Giro d'Italia Donne, Tour de France Femmes and Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta, all with stage wins included. Besides the three "Grand Tours", she's won the World Championships with a small fracture on her elbow, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the Setmana Valenciana, making her by far the most successful rider of the season, with several high-level results outside of her wins aswell.

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“Winning is not my riding force," she admits, however. "That's nice. There is still that urge to improve myself. For this one year, there are still some details that I want to work on, so that I can certainly achieve this level next year."

“That's my fear of quitting. But it's also the reason that I'm okay with quitting, because I think there are more great challenges waiting for me because of the knowledge and experience I've gained," van Vleuten added.

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Now with Movistar Team, she seems to have found a team with total leadership, and a great environment where she has been thriving. She has said that 2023 was going to be her final season, but similar to Alejandro Valverde in the men's team, that date may be postponed if she keeps riding at the same level.

However she does think of what she will do once she hangs up the wheels, but is confident that she can become a great mentor for the coming generations. “I think it would be great fun to do something with young athletes, in coaching. Or with young professionals in the business world, there are also many similarities. I think I will manage to take on the challenge without a bike," she concluded.

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