"I really could not have dreamed of this” - Aniek van Alphen on unexpected victory in Boom

After her rather unexpected victory at the Superprestige in Boom, Aniek van Alphen has admitted that the win came as a surprise even to herself. “I knew that the podium was possible, but I really could not have dreamed of this."

The 23-year-old Team 777 rider emerged victorious in Boom despite not initially getting off to the best of starts. "I was also held up for a while, so I had to catch up with quite a few riders," she says. "That went smoothly on that tough course. I went from one rider to another, which gave me a lot of morale. At that moment I thought a podium spot might be possible. However, the riders in front of me fell a bit, so that I could join the head of the race.”

When it came down to van Alphen and Denise Betsema for the overall victory it was van Alphen who powered home to victory. " I could start the last straight line first. The sprint was ultimately very close. I saw Denise coming and I was waiting for her to pass me, but luckily it didn't happen."

The key to this success? According to van Alphen herself, it is a change-up in her training plan. " I train less intensively during the week, in order to be extra fresh at the start at the weekend. It's nice that you feel good at training, but that's not really important at all. The game is all that matters.”