Annemiek van Vleuten facts for kids
Van Vleuten at the 2017 UEC European Track Championships
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| Personal information | |||
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| Full name | Annemiek van Vleuten | ||
| Nickname |
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| Born | 8 October 1982 Vleuten, Netherlands |
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| Height | 1.68 m | ||
| Weight | 59 kg | ||
| Team information | |||
| Current team | Retired | ||
| Discipline | Road | ||
| Role | Rider | ||
| Rider type | All-rounder | ||
| Major wins | |||
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Annemiek van Vleuten (born October 8, 1982) is a retired professional road racing cyclist from the Netherlands. She was known as one of the best female cyclists ever. She rode for the Movistar Team, a top women's cycling team.
Annemiek won many important races during her career. She won the World Road Race Championships twice, in 2019 and 2022. She also won the World Time Trial Championships twice, in 2017 and 2018.
At the Olympic Games, she won a gold medal in the time trial and a silver medal in the road race at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (held in 2021). She also won the Dutch National Road Race Championships in 2012 and the Dutch National Time Trial Championships four times.
Van Vleuten is famous for winning all three of women's cycling's biggest stage races, often called "Grand Tours." She won the Giro Donne four times (2018, 2019, 2022, 2023), the first-ever Tour de France Femmes in 2022, and La Vuelta Femenina in 2023. In 2022, she made history by winning both the Giro and the Tour de France in the same year. She retired from cycling at the end of the 2023 season.
Annemiek's Cycling Journey
Annemiek van Vleuten started her cycling journey a bit later than some. As a child, she enjoyed other sports like football, gymnastics, and horse riding. She also rode her bike to school every day.
Starting Her Cycling Career
Annemiek studied animal sciences at the University of Wageningen. She earned her master's degree in 2007. In 2005, after a knee injury from playing football, her doctor suggested she try cycling.
She began her cycling career with amateur teams in 2007 when she was 25. In 2009, she joined a Dutch professional team. By 2010, she quit her office job to become a full-time professional cyclist. Her first big win was the 2010 Novilon Eurocup Ronde van Drenthe. Later that year, she won La Route de France. In 2011, she won the 2011 UCI Women's Road World Cup, which included wins at races like Tour of Flanders for Women and GP de Plouay – Bretagne.
In 2012, Annemiek represented the Netherlands at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the road race. She also won the Dutch National Road Race Championships. In 2014, she won the Dutch National Time Trial Championships for the first time. In 2015, she won a bronze medal in the time trial at the 2015 European Games.
Joining Orica–AIS (2016–2020)
In 2016, Annemiek joined the Orica–AIS team. During the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, she had a serious crash while leading the road race. She crashed on a steep downhill section and was hospitalized with injuries.
Amazingly, she was back on her bike within ten days. Just one month later, she made a winning return to racing. She won the Belgium Tour and two stages. Earlier that year, she had also won her second Dutch National Time Trial Championships.
World Championships and Giro Rosa Wins
In 2017, Annemiek became a world champion for the first time. She won the time trial event in Norway. She also won the Holland Ladies Tour and La Course by Le Tour de France.
The year 2018 was one of her best. She won the Giro Rosa, winning three stages. She also defended her world title in the time trial in Austria. She won the 2018 UCI Women's World Tour, which is a series of top races. She had 13 victories in total that year.
In 2019, Annemiek won the Giro Rosa again, by a large margin. She won the overall race, the points competition, and the mountains competition. At the World Championships in Harrogate, she won the road race. She rode alone for about 100 kilometers of the 149-kilometer race, staying ahead of the other riders. She also won her fourth Dutch national time trial championship.
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In 2020, even with many races cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she won the European Road Championships road race. She also won Strade Bianche for the second time.
Joining Movistar Team (2021–2023)
In 2021, Annemiek joined the Movistar Team. She started the season by winning the Tour of Flanders for Women, ten years after her first win there.
Olympic Medals and World Tour Win
In July 2021, she competed in the women's Olympic road race in Tokyo. She won the silver medal, even after crashing during the race. Three days later, she became an Olympic champion by winning the gold medal in the time trial.
She won the 2021 UCI Women's World Tour for the second time. This was after winning races like the Challenge by La Vuelta and Ladies Tour of Norway. In October, she broke her pelvic bone in a crash at the first-ever Paris–Roubaix Femmes race, which ended her season. In December, she was named Dutch cyclist of the year for the third time.
Historic Triple Wins in 2022
In 2022, Annemiek won two classic races: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Liège–Bastogne–Liège Femmes. In June, she announced she would retire at the end of the 2023 season. She then won her third Giro Donne in July.
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Later in July, she was a favorite to win the first Tour de France Femmes. She had some stomach issues early in the race. But on the second-to-last stage, she attacked and rode alone for about 62 kilometers. She won the stage by over three minutes and took the lead in the race. The next day, she won again, securing her overall victory. She became the first woman to win both the Giro and the Tour de France in the same year.
In September, she won the Challenge by La Vuelta. The following week, at the World Championships, she crashed in the mixed team relay and fractured her elbow. Despite this injury, she started the road race three days later. She made a late attack with about 700 meters left and won the race. This made her the first female rider to win the Triple Crown of Cycling (Giro, Tour, and World Championships in the same year).
Final Season in 2023
In 2023, Annemiek won the first edition of La Vuelta Femenina. This meant she was the first woman to win all three major women's cycling Grand Tours. She then won her fourth Giro Donne, winning three stages and both the points and mountains classifications. She finished 4th overall in the Tour de France Femmes, which she said was disappointing due to illness. Annemiek retired from professional cycling at the end of the 2023 season.
After Retirement
In December 2024, Annemiek van Vleuten announced she would join the FDC team. She will work there to help young riders develop their skills. She has also worked as a commentator for Dutch television.
Personal Life
Outside of cycling, Annemiek enjoys a quiet life. She likes scuba diving, watching football, and playing the board game Catan with friends. She has been in a relationship with Oscar Abad, a former amateur cyclist, since 2022. In June 2025, she shared the happy news that she was expecting a baby.
Career Achievements
See also
In Spanish: Annemiek van Vleuten para niños
- List of Dutch Olympic cyclists
