Annemiek van Vleuten will take on the Transcordilleras - 985km long gravel stage race in Colombian Andes: "I’ll see many nice roads I have never seen from a road bike"

Annemiek van Vleuten is not an irregular visitor in Colombia. However it's not every day you see her participate in near-thousand kilometers long gravel ride. Yet exactly that will be the case at Transcordilleras. The eight day long adventure, as Van Vleuten calls it, will be her opportunity to 'just enjoy riding a bike' after a successful road career.

The former World champion has no competitive ambitions whatsover. "I’m not racing for a result, just for the adventure, and just to finish it, or maybe not," she told Cyclingnews. "If I feel like finishing, I will finish. So I like the concept."

"I also want to participate here because people think for sure I will be competitive. People say, 'Why are you not racing there?' But that part, I am done with racing. I had the pressure to perform and I had to go for results. Been there, done that," Van Vleuten made clear.

"Iris Slappendel was keen for a gravel adventure and I think it’s more fun to do this nice adventure together. So I see this as a way to see Colombia by bike," Van Vleuten said. "I’ll see many nice roads I have never seen before because I was only training on my road bike. It’s a place I know already, but gravel is new for me."