The Dutch Annemiek Adriana van Vleuten He came to professional cycling “late”, according to many experts, but with physical potential and a head so well furnished that It has taken her very few years to become one of the stars of women’s cycling. Her jump to the elite came at the age of 23 and only 14 years later she has become the star signing of Movistar, where she has been received as the champion they need to relaunch the team in the UCI Women’s WorldTour.

Yes indeed, Her salary per season will be 250,000 euros, a fortune if we compare it with other cyclists (women). and even with other athletes from other disciplines, but that represents the average salary of a good gregarious (cyclists who always help the team leader). The top of the men’s peloton reach figures up to twenty times higher: the Slovakian Peter Saganfor example, charges more than five million euros; Alejandro ValverdeIn the Spanish section, it exceeds two million a year.

A very significant fact that once again puts into focus the economic differences and opportunities that exist in sport between professionals of the different modalities.

When they talk about her age (37 years) as a handicap, she behaves like a woman who knows well what leadership is and when to exercise it: “I’m no longer the youngest in the peloton, but I am very ambitious and I want to do very well with this team.”

He is clear: “As long as I progress each year and enjoy my sporting life, I will continue.”. And his arrival in cycling was literally by accident. His main sporting passion was football. At school she was part of a women’s team and fought as hard as she does now when she launches any of her feared attacks.

However, Three years before becoming a professional cyclist, he tore his meniscus and cruciate ligament.. He blessed The doctor who treated her recommended that she leave the ball and go swimming or cycling. She didn’t think twice. She bought a second-hand mountain bike for 250 euros and started riding routes.

From football to the bike

Two wheels were no stranger to Annemiek, who got on them when she was only three years old. (With a photo from his Instagram he remembers when he was already hitting the pedals without lifting an inch off the ground). Furthermore, she herself has explained how it happened entire summers hooked on TV watching the Tour de Francea race that could even be won if it is confirmed that the French organization is going to mount an edition for girls in 2022.

His professional launch in cycling did not occur until he graduated in Holland with a degree in Animal Sciences (a mix between Zoology and Veterinary Medicine). And although he has not yet earned his university degree, he has shown that he gets along great with other living beings. Much talked about is, in fact, his experience with a small kangaroo that he met during his time. in an Australian cycling team, where he left to sign for Movistar.

Although she was born in a town named after her, Vleutenhis father’s job, municipal secretary, made them move when she was four years old to Vordenalong with his mother and sister, one of his greatest supporters throughout his career.

Van Vleuten defines herself as a lover of “unplanned” trips: her Instagram It is a walk, by bicycle and with other means of transport, especially through three of his favorite countries: Holland, Italy and Colombiawhere he usually practices cycling at altitude to train with less oxygen than normal in a race and improve his physical potential.

But she also warns that she is very homely, that she loves to stay in bed until very late and that She is a fan of board games, especially ‘Cities and Knights of Catan’ and ‘Ticket to Ride’.

Furthermore, if someone is lucky enough to be invited to your home, they will find that many times It is she herself who ends up cooking for her friends (perhaps fish, one of his favorite dishes) and that in any after-dinner conversation a trip to adventure with the sea as the protagonist, another of his passions, can arise.

When he won World Track Cycling Championship in 2018 he assured that it was “the best year of his career” because all his dreams were coming true. But it has not been his only milestone. Her record includes La Route de France in 2010 and the Women’s Giro d’Italia in 2018 and 2019; the 2011 Tour of Flanders, five medals in the Road Cycling World Championships between 2013 and 2019, and a gold medal in the 2020 European Road Cycling Championships.

An incredible star, a leader in world cycling who, if there is one thing we are sure of, is that she will spend more time far rather than close to the peloton.

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