"When she goes, it means we can see the rest of the peloton for what it is" - Adam Blythe on Van Vleuten's retirement

Annemiek Van Vleuten secured overall victory at the Tour de France Femmes, dominating the final two stages of the race. Adam Blythe and Orla Chennaoui believe that van Vleuten's retirement from cycling could be good for the sport.

"I don't think anyone can replace her," said Eurosport expert Blythe. She continues, "To be honest, I hope no one ever does replace her. It is great watching her, but she is so much better than everyone else that everyone is playing catch-up all the time.”

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Chennaoui responds with, "It's fantastic to see Annemiek winning in the way that she does, but really it is a good thing if there is nobody to replace her in the way that she races and the way that she wins,” questioning her dominance in women’s cycling can be damaging in long run.

Blythe agrees that she is too strong for everyone to compete against."It will make the fight all the closer. Everyone else has risen so much in the last five or six years, and we have such a level of competition, breadth and depth in the peloton, but we lose sight of that because she is so much better. When she goes, it means we can see the rest of the peloton for what it is - highly competitive and really exciting," said Blythe.

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Van Vleuten has 95 major victories in her career. While retirement is out of the question for her this year as she has signed a one-year contract extension this summer through to the end of 2023.

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