The extensive and exemplary career of Annemiek van Vleuten will come to its conclusion at the end of 2023. The Movistar rider made the announcement on Wednesday, June, 29, and has left her fans in despair. But we still have some time to enjoy more of her on the screens.
View this post on Instagram
Annemiek van Vleuten’s victories include a win at the Olympic time trial and two wins at Tours of Flanders. She also holds three World Championships titles. She turned to professional cycling in 2008. Currently, she is number one in the world.
Her schedule is as packed as it gets, with Giro d’Italia Donne and Tour de France Femmes on the list. The Liège-Bastogne-Liège tour has been her finest spring campaign so far, as she termed it as “best spring campaign ever”. Earlier, she had announced that she will no longer be participating in the Dutch Championship.
The 39-year-old took to the press and said:
I didn’t imagine I would retire this year because I am still very motivated
She continued:
Although there is always going to have to be a point when I leave racing, and in my mind it’s best to stop when I’m still at the top, fighting for the wins in the biggest races
The Olympic time trial winner, which was held in Japan, wants to go out with a bang and retire while she is still at the top of her game. She acknowledges that people might be wondering why she would retire preceding the Olympic Games in Paris, happening in 2024. She commented:
I want to quit while I’m at the top, and it’s best to do it when I’m with this wonderful team
For her, it is all about retiring when she is still physically fit and not hitting the bottoms. One can ascertain that easily from her statement:
Some people will surely wonder why I’m retiring before the Paris Olympics. For me, this, my career, has always been about finding motivating, long-term projects, like the Movistar Team and every organization I’ve been part of that I can invest my energy in. It’s not strictly about specific goals or races
She jokingly added:
It doesn’t look like the Alpe d’Huez is going to feature on the 2024 course, either, But as you can understand, that’s not the most important reason
View this post on Instagram
We still have some more time to go with the magnificent star, but we wish her good luck in all her future endeavors.
Also Read: Wout Van Aert’s Injury Heals Miraculously Ahead Of Tour De France
Featured Image Via YouTube/ Movistar Team
