Annemiek van Vleuten

Annemiek van Vleuten, born on October eighth, nineteen eighty-two, is a retired Dutch professional cyclist renowned for her exceptional achievements in both road and track cycling. Most recently, she rode for the UCI Women's WorldTeam Movistar Team, where she solidified her legacy as one of the greatest female cyclists in history.

Throughout her illustrious career, van Vleuten claimed victory at the UCI Road World Championships, winning the road race in two thousand nineteen and two thousand twenty-two, and the time trial in two thousand seventeen and two thousand eighteen. Her Olympic journey was marked by a dramatic crash in the two thousand sixteen road race, but she rebounded to secure a gold medal in the time trial and a silver in the road race at the delayed two thousand twenty Olympics.

Van Vleuten's dominance extended to national competitions, where she won the Dutch National Road Race Championships in two thousand twelve and the Dutch National Time Trial Championships four times between two thousand fourteen and two thousand nineteen. She also triumphed in all three of women's cycling Grand Tours equivalents, winning the Giro Donne five times and the inaugural Tour de France Femmes in two thousand twenty-two, along with La Vuelta Femenina in two thousand twenty-three.

In two thousand twenty-two, she made history as the first woman to achieve a Giro–Tour double in the same year. With a total of nine grand tour victories and six consecutive wins in women's cycling Grand Tours equivalents, van Vleuten's accolades include the UCI Women's Road World Cup in two thousand eleven and the UCI Women's World Tour in two thousand eighteen, twenty-one, and twenty-two. Her remarkable career also features multiple stage race and one-day event victories, including prestigious cycling monuments like Liège–Bastogne–Liège Femmes and Strade Bianche Donne.

Recognized as Dutch women's cyclist of the year three times, van Vleuten's impact on the sport is undeniable. She officially retired at the end of the two thousand twenty-three season, leaving behind a legacy that inspires future generations of cyclists.