At 39, the Dutchman, who came late to cycling after a masters in epidemiology, outlined the competition in the mountains to afford the victory in the general classification.
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Cycling has experienced major strategies. These great movements planned in the morning at breakfast, when the sports director imagines himself as a Napoleon in front of the Pratzen plateau, before fighting in Austerlitz. Often, these projects are shattered on the wall of reality, that of the race, of the superiority of adversaries. Except when called Annemiek van vleuten.
The 39 -year -old Dutchman knew where, when and how she would win this first Tour de France women. Namely from the foot of the small ball on Saturday, and in charge of saber in the light. No matter the 80 kilometers, regardless of its competitors, it had made an appointment. And the leader of the Movistar team is the punctual type.
Aude Biannic can testify. The Frenchwoman describes her boss as demanding and methodical. “She is very square, when she says she is going to attack this place, she respects the plan to the letter. I had to launch her at the foot and I had no interest in missing me,” admits the Breton.
She ahead, the others far behind. Van Vleuten knocked out competition, however accustomed to his staging. “We knew what she was going to do, we tried to follow her, but she is just too strong,” sums up her compatriot Pauliena Rooijakkers (Canyon-Sram Racing). “I would like to be sick like Annemiek van vleuten! She is really impressive,” continues the French Juliette Labous, brilliant 4
The Dutchman has appeared. On Sunday, she offered herself for dessert the super board of the daughters-in-law (Haute-Saône) without whipped cream but with the Van Vleuten startup from the foot of the ascent. Style is more in efficiency than stylistic beauty. As a dancer on her bike, the climber swings from right to left and sometimes gives the impression of climbing with a bag of cement on the back. But the rate of pedals is evil and stifles any desire to try to hang on to your wheel.
“Eliminate the superfluous kilos of”
evenings
Truth, the success of the Movistar lead head does not surprise anyone. Released from the competition from Anna van der Breggen, the other “climbing Dutch” and a young retiree from the peloton, the former footballer was advancing with the favorite sign hanging from the jersey, especially after her victory in July on the Tour d ‘Italy. Approaching quarantine (October 8), Van Vleuten displays a five-star track record between two world champion titles, an Olympic gold medal in the background (Tokyo 2021), three Giros and two towers Flanders.
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