Anna van der Breggen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Anna van der Breggen

Van der Breggen in 2018
Personal information
Full name	Anna van der Breggen
Born	(1990-04-18) 18 April 1990 (age 35) Zwolle, Netherlands
Height	1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)
Weight	56 kg (123 lb)
Team information
Current team	Team SD Worx–Protime
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider (retired) Directeur sportif
Rider type	All-rounder
Major wins
Stage races Giro d'Italia Femminile General classification (2015, 2017, 2020, 2021) 4 individual stages (2015, 2019, 2021) Vuelta a Burgos Feminas (2021) Tour of California (2017, 2019) Ladies Tour of Norway (2014) Grand Prix Elsy Jacobs (2014, 2015) Tour de Bretagne (2012) One-day races and Classics Olympic Road Race (2016) World Road Race Championships (2018, 2020) World Time Trial Championships (2020) European Road Race Championships (2016) European Time Trial Championships (2020) National Time Trial Championships (2015, 2021) National Road Race Championships (2020) Tour of Flanders (2018) Liège–Bastogne–Liège (2017, 2018) La Flèche Wallonne (2015–2021) Amstel Gold Race (2017) Strade Bianche (2018) GP de Plouay (2019) Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (2015, 2021) La Course by Le Tour de France (2015)

Anna van der Breggen (born April 18, 1990) is a famous Dutch former professional road cyclist. She raced professionally from 2009 to 2021. Anna won a gold medal in the women's road race at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. She also won the Giro d'Italia Femminile four times. In 2018 and 2020, she became the World Road Race Champion.

Anna is known as one of the best and most flexible riders of her time. She was great at both one-day races and stage races, especially on hilly roads. Besides her Olympic gold and Giro wins, she won La Flèche Wallonne seven times in a row! She also won Liège–Bastogne–Liège twice, the Tour of Flanders, Amstel Gold Race, and Strade Bianche.

In 2017, she won all three major Ardennes classics races in just one week. This amazing feat earned her the nickname Queen of the Ardennes. After retiring from racing at the end of 2021, Anna started working as a directeur sportif (a team manager) for her last professional team, Team SD Worx–Protime. In June 2024, she announced she would return to racing in 2025!

Anna's Cycling Journey

Starting Out in Cycling

Anna van der Breggen was born in Zwolle, a city in the Netherlands. Her family loved cycling, and all her brothers and sister rode bikes. Anna started racing when she was just seven years old with a local club. By age 17, she was already fifth in the junior world championship road race. It was tough when she first started racing against older, more experienced riders. She even thought about quitting after a difficult race.

Becoming a Professional Rider

Anna became a professional cyclist in 2012 with the Sengers Ladies Cycling Team team. In July, she won the Tour de Bretagne Féminin, a stage race. She won three stages and the overall race by a lot! She also won a time trial at another race and a gold medal at the European championships for riders under 23. She finished fifth in the World Championships road race that year.

In 2013, Anna focused on finishing her nursing degree. After graduating, she became a full-time professional cyclist. She finished fourth in the World Championships road race in Florence. For the 2014 season, she joined the Rabo–Liv team.

Big Wins and a Setback in 2014

Anna's first year with the Rabo team was very successful. She started with top-10 finishes in several important races. She showed she was great at stage races, winning the Ladies Tour of Norway and Grand Prix Elsy Jacobs. She also came second in the Belgium Tour and third in the Emakumeen Euskal Bira and Giro Rosa.

Her season ended suddenly when she broke her pelvis at the World Championships. This happened after a teammate crashed and caused a pile-up. Anna had to go to the hospital.

First Giro Rosa Victory in 2015

On the podium in Ghent after winning 2015 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

Anna recovered from her injury and started 2015 strong. She won her first big classic race, the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, in February. She then won La Flèche Wallonne in April. She also won the Grand Prix Elsy Jacobs again.

In June, she won a bronze medal at the first European Games in Baku. Anna's biggest win came in July when she won the Giro d'Italia Femminile. This is the most important stage race for women. She won an individual time trial stage, which helped her take the overall lead. Later, she won La Course by Le Tour de France in Paris.

Van der Breggen soloed to victory at the second La Course on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.

At the World Championships in September, she won two silver medals. She was second in both the individual time trial and the road race. Anna finished the year as second in the UCI Road World Cup. She was also named the best female Dutch cyclist of the year.

Olympic and European Champion in 2016

Anna started 2016 with good results, but her first win came when she defended her title at La Flèche Wallonne. She won this race for the second time in a row. In July, she finished third overall in the Giro Rosa. During the Giro, she announced she would join the Boels–Dolmans team for 2017.

Anna van der Breggen during the podium ceremony of the Olympic road race in Rio after winning the gold medal.

On August 7, 2016, Anna won the gold medal in the women's road race at the Rio Olympics. In a dramatic race, her teammate crashed near the end. Anna then caught up to the leader and won the sprint finish on Copacabana Beach. Three days later, she won a bronze medal in the individual time trial. Because of her Olympic success, she received a special honor in the Netherlands.

In September, she competed in the European Road Championships. She won a silver medal in the time trial. In the road race, she won the sprint to become the first professional European road race champion.

Ardennes Triple and Second Giro Win in 2017

Van der Breggen ended 2017 as winner of the Women's World Tour (pictured in the World Tour leader's jersey at the 2017 Holland Ladies Tour)

In early 2017, Anna made history by becoming the first woman to win all three Ardennes classics races in one year. She won the Amstel Gold Race, then her third straight Flèche Wallonne, and finally the first-ever Liège–Bastogne–Liège. Her amazing performance in these hilly races earned her the nickname Queen of the Ardennes. A few weeks later, she won the Tour of California.

In the summer, she won the Giro Rosa for the second time. Her team won the opening team time trial, and Anna took the lead early. She won the overall race by more than a minute. Later that year, Anna won a stage and finished second overall in the Holland Ladies Tour. This secured her the overall win in the UCI Women's World Tour. At the World Championships, she won two silver medals in team and individual time trials.

Queen of the Classics and First World Title in 2018

Van der Breggen (pictured at the Amstel Gold Race) won four World Tour races in the spring of 2018.

Anna started 2018 as the world's number one rider. She won the Strade Bianche in bad weather. Three weeks later, she won the Tour of Flanders after riding alone for a long time. This was her first Tour of Flanders win.

She then won her fourth consecutive Flèche Wallonne on her 28th birthday. She finished her amazing spring by winning her second Liège–Bastogne–Liège. Anna decided not to defend her Giro Rosa title in 2018. Instead, she focused on preparing for the World Championships. At the European Road Championships, she won a silver medal in the time trial.

At the World Championships in September, she won two silver medals in the team and individual time trials. Finally, she won her first World Championships gold medal in the road race. She attacked alone with 39 kilometers to go and finished more than three minutes ahead of the second-place rider.

Mountain Biking and More Wins in 2019

Anna had a quieter start to her 2019 season. In March, she tried something new and won the Cape Epic mountain bike stage race with her teammate. She then focused on the Ardennes Classics. She won her fifth straight Flèche Wallonne, matching another famous cyclist's record. In May, she won the overall Tour of California.

Later in the year, Anna won the GP de Plouay – Bretagne by attacking alone near the finish. At the World Championships, she won two more silver medals in the individual time trial and the road race. She also finished second overall in the Giro Rosa.

Third Giro Win and Double World Titles in 2020

In 2020, Anna won the Setmana Ciclista Valenciana stage race in February. In May, she announced she would retire from racing at the end of 2021 after the postponed 2020 Summer Olympics.

When racing started again in July, she won the Dutch National Road Race Championships for the first time. Shortly after, she won a gold medal in the individual time trial at the European Road Championships. The next month, Anna won the Giro Rosa for the third time.

Later that month, at the World Championships, Anna became the world time trial champion for the first time. She had won four silver medals in this event before. She then won a second road race world title. This made her only the second rider ever to win both the time trial and road race world titles in the same year! After the Worlds, Anna set a new record by winning Flèche Wallonne for a sixth time.

Fourth Giro Win and Retirement in 2021

In 2021, Anna won her fourth Giro Donne. She also won other races, including La Flèche Wallonne Féminine (for a record seventh time!), the Vuelta a Burgos Feminas, and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. She also won the Dutch National Time Trial Championships for the second time. At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, she won a bronze medal in the time trial competition. After this, she retired from professional racing.

New Role as Team Manager

After retiring from racing, Anna van der Breggen now works as a directeur sportif (a team manager) for her last professional team, UCI Women's WorldTeam SD Worx. She helps guide and support the riders.

Coming Back to Racing

In June 2024, Anna van der Breggen announced exciting news: she will be returning to professional cycling for the 2025 season! She will race with her former team, Team SD Works-Protime.

Anna's Life Outside Cycling

Anna van der Breggen lives in Hasselt, in the Netherlands. Her husband, Sierk Jan de Haan, is also involved in cycling as a coach for another team. Anna comes from a religious family. She is also a trained nurse, having finished nursing school in 2012. When she's not cycling, she enjoys playing the piano, painting, and knitting.

Major Results

Source:

General Classification Results Timeline

Classics Results Timeline

Major Championship Results Timeline

Event		2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Olympic Games	Time trial	Not held		—	Not held			3	Not held				3
	Road race			—				1					15
World Championships	Time trial	—	—	11	—	—	2	13	2	2	2	1	—
	Road race	—	—	5	4	—	2	87	8	1	2	1	89
	Team time trial	Not held		—	9	14	3	8	2	2	Not held
European Championships	Time trial	Event did not exist						2	3	2	—	1	—
	Road race							1	69	8	—	21	—
European Games	Time trial	Event did not exist					—	Not Held			—	Not Held
	Road race						3				55
National Championships	Time trial	—	—	5	—	5	1	—	3	2	3	NH	1
	Road race	22	66	7	DNF	42	21	58	8	8	12	1	40

Images for kids

• 

  On the podium in Ghent after winning 2015 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

• 

  Van der Breggen soloed to victory at the second La Course on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.

• 

  Anna van der Breggen during the podium ceremony of the Olympic road race in Rio after winning the gold medal.

• 

  Van der Breggen ended 2017 as winner of the Women's World Tour (pictured in the World Tour leader's jersey at the 2017 Holland Ladies Tour)

• 

  Van der Breggen (pictured at the Amstel Gold Race) won four World Tour races in the spring of 2018.

See Also

• UCI Women's Road World Cup
• UCI Women's World Tour
• List of women's road bicycle races