It’s quite possible to run out of superlatives when describing the present day cycling legend that is the Dutch rider Annemiek Van Vleuten, who crossed her last finish line yesterday. There is, after all, no other rider quite like her.
One thing that no glowing adjective can capture fully is the fact that Van Vleuten is an athlete who is leaving her chosen sport better because she was a part of it, better than it was when she started competing 17 racing seasons ago. Better for riders, better for fans, better for women.
During her long career that began in 2007 when she was 24, Van Vleuten didn’t just win bike races, though she did do that—lots. AVV has a total of 104 wins on her palmarès, and even though that in and of itself is more than enough for her to be considered a champion, she didn’t stop there. She spoke up. She used the platform her success gave her not only to push through the sexism and misogyny ingrained in professional cycling, but also to inspire other women and girls in the way that only representation can. As the saying goes, you have to see it to be it, and Van Vleuten showed the world how it’s done.
And to think it all may never have happened at all. After all, Van Vleuten didn’t start cycling in earnest until after she had graduated with her Master’s Degree and had her first office job. In fact, she didn’t quit said office job and start racing full-time until three years later. The rest, as they say, is history.
But Van Vleuten not only won a lot of bike races, she also lost many, and regardless of whether she won or lost, she did so with grace. And while it’s often lacking in sport, grace is an essential ingredient in the recipe that makes up a champion.
Yesterday, Van Vleuten took that last lap of her last race easy, waving to her fans on the roadside, riding with her team. As she rode on Dutch roads for the last time as a professional, the crowds and spectators shouted “Annemiek bedankt!” as she passed by. “Annemiek, thank you!”
Former pro cyclist, now coach of the Dutch national women’s team, Loes Gunnewijk said in a speech after the race that what she admired most about Van Vleuten was “... your perseverance, your positivity, and raising the bar every time, for yourself, for the team, for the peloton, you have meant a lot for women’s cycling.”
Here at Bicycling, we are a part of the chorus of roadside bike racing fans chanting, albeit from afar: Annemiek, thank you.
