Autor: Saul Miguel

Mientras se aproxima 2023, la temporada de despedida de Annemiek van Vleuten, nos pareció un buen momento para sentarnos a charlar con la líder de Movistar Team y repasar el que ha sido su mejor año como profesional. Ganar Lieja, Giro, Tour, Challenge Vuelta y rematarlo con el Mundial en ruta es una hazaña deportiva sin precedentes pero, como es habitual al hablar de Van Vleuten, la clave no está solo en lo que ha ganado, sino en cómo lo ha ganado. También hubo espacio para hablar de objetivos futuros durante una conversación que, esperamos, sea un buen complemento a…

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As she approaches her farewell season in 2023 wearing the most iconic jersey in pro cycling, we felt it would be a good moment to sat down with Annemiek van Vleuten to review her best year ever. Winning Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Giro Donne, Tour de France Femmes, Challenge Vuelta and the World Championships on the road is an astonishing achievement in itself but, as usual with Van Vleuten, it wasn’t only about what she won, but how she won. There was also time to talk about some of her future goals during a conversation that, hopefully, nicely complements the two previous interviews…

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Con solo 21 años, la australiana Sarah Gigante ya ha vivido más altibajos en el deporte que muchas de sus colegas más veteranas. Enfermedades y lesiones varias han estado tan presentes como el éxito en su carrera deportiva hasta el momento, pero ahora se encuentra en plena progresión y dispuesta a volver por sus fueros mientras aprende de las mejores en Movistar Team. En vísperas, precisamente, de su primera victoria en suelo europeo en la Emakumeen Nafarroako Klasikoa, tuvimos la oportunidad de compartir una larga y distendida coversación con la simpática y encantadora ciclista de Melbourne. Texto: Saúl Miguel Fotos:…

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At only 21, Australian talent Sarah Gigante has already experienced more ups and downs in the sport than many of her veteran colleagues. Illness and injuries define her career so far as much as success does, but she’s currently on the rise and determined to put her progression back on track as she learns from the best at Movistar Team. We sat down with the affable and charming rider from Melbourne for a long, relaxed conversation which took place the day before she won her first ever European race at Emakumeen Nafarroako Klasikoa. Words: Saúl Miguel Photos: Sprint Cycling Agency…

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Con su fichaje por Movistar Team, la temporada 2021 abre un nuevo capítulo en la carrera deportiva de Annemiek van Vleuten, ahora con colores diferentes y energías renovadas. En vísperas del arranque de su campaña, charlamos con la tres veces campeona del mundo y vigente campeona europea sobre las primeras impresiones en su equipo, así como una serie de cuestiones más generales en cuanto a su filosofía y forma de entender el ciclismo que complementan las tratadas en nuestra extensa entrevista publicada a finales del pasado año. Texto: Saúl Miguel Fotos: Photo Gomez Sport / Movistar Team (indicado) y Annemiek…

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Wearing the new colours of Movistar Team, 2021 means a new and refreshing chapter in the career of Annemiek van Vleuten. As she’s about to start her season in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, we catch up with the three times World champion and current European champion to know about her first experiences in her new team, her ambitions for the season and many other aspects of her personality as an athlete that may, hopefully, complement the extensive feature on her we published in late 2020. Words: Saúl Miguel Photos: Photo Gomez Sport / Movistar Team (when noted) and Annemiek van Vleuten…

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Una conversación con la actual campeona de Europa y tres veces campeona mundial Texto y fotos: Saúl Miguel (salvo indicación expresa) Challenge (reto, desafío) es una de las palabras que aparece con más frecuencia en una conversación con Annemiek van Vleuten. Y lo hace por una razón: esa constante búsqueda de desafiarse a sí misma es lo que mueve a la ciclista neerlandesa. Condiciona su forma de entrenar y las decisiones a lo largo de su carrera. Le aporta energía y motivación, manteniendo la necesidad de buscar nuevas metas, con un entusiasmo genuino y casi infantil, en el mejor sentido…

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A conversation with the current European road champion and three times World champion Words and photos by Saúl Miguel (unless stated otherwise) ‘Challenge’ is one of the words that appears most often in a conversation with Annemiek van Vleuten. It does for a reason: that constant quest to challenge herself is the driving force behind the Dutch rider. It shapes the way she trains and her decisions throughout her cycling career. It keeps her motivated and energized, always eager to find new ways to set and achieve interesting goals, with a genuine, almost child-like enthusiasm that makes it easier to…

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It’s December. After the off-season, the road riders have been back to the training sessions with their views focused on the upcoming cycling season. It’s not only time to regain fitness after some well deserved rest, but also to set goals, to target the races they want to win. You’ll hear the sprinters mention De Panne and Gent-Wevelgem. The cobbled classics specialists may talk about Drenthe, De Ronde and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. The strongest all-rounders set their views on the Ardennes and the Giro. Some will look ahead too, to the World Championships. Yet, you won’t hear anyone mentioning La…

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Words and photo: Saúl Miguel Social media after the fifth stage of the Giro Rosa, won by Annemiek van Vleuten after climbing Torri di Fraele almost 3 minutes faster than her closest rival, left me once again with the strong impression that the way most people tend to talk about women’s cycling has little to do with the way they do with men’s cycling. And not in a good way. One could argue that the important thing is that they talk about you, and in the case of women’s cycling, clearly on the rise but still pretty much hidden under…

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De Hoogmis, the most sacred day in cycling, the most anticipated date in the calendar, is finally here. We are on the eve of the Ronde van Vlaanderen. Until we get to see the birth of the women’s Paris-Roubaix (dreaming is for free), De Ronde is indisputably the one day race of the season. And this year, at least on paper, it promises to be better than ever. But more on this later. The Tour of Flanders is a moderately old race in the women’s calendar, 2019 being its 16th edition. Only two riders have been able to win it…

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Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders fields, that’s the complete name of the fifth event of the Women’s World Tour in 2019. So far we’ve seen four different winners from fourth different teams in the previous races, which somehow explains the very different character of each competition. Is Gent-Wevelgem a completely new territory again? Yes and no. Just like Driedaagse De Panne, it’s Flanders. But now the addition of cobbled climbs and even off-road sections might make it look a bit more similar to Ronde van Drenthe, to compare it to a previous WWT race. Anyway, Gent-Wevelgem has its own character, even if…

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Year after year, some races come, some other go, some even get some sort of revamp to keep going. However, the Trofeo Alfredo Binda always stays without noticeable changes. First as part of the World Cup, now as the third event of the Women’s World Tour. Maybe it doesn’t change because it doesn’t need it. Not many races offer the same balance: sometimes there’s a thin line between favouring different types of riders and the Trofeo Binda apparently sits right in the middle: both sprinters and climbers can win it and have won it. There’s no need to look far…

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After an explosive start with that modern classic called Strade Bianche, the Women’s World Tour goes on with its second event. It’s time to move to the northern region of the Netherlands for a race that may look easier on paper, but there’s more than meets the eye. A lot more, actually. Ronde van Drenthe has a well deserved reputation of being a harder race than it looks. Even in decent weather, as in the 2017 edition, it can end up being pretty selective. It’s almost totally flat, yet big sprint finishes are rare. How’s that? The course The answer…

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It’s that time of the year again. The 2019 edition of the Women’s World Tour is about to start. Not with “just another race”, no. It does so with the modern classic that Strade Bianche has quickly become. A race everyone is looking forward to, because there’s no other like it on the calendar. No matter the weather looks good like this year or terrible like last year, Strade Bianche means epic racing and that’s something both riders and fans appreciate. There has been only four editions of the women’s Strade Bianche before. The latest two had some sort of…

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It’s always good to see young races find their place in the calendar, something that can never be taken for granted when they are created. For a race like the Setmana Ciclista Valenciana, the odds were in its favour. The usual good weather around the Mediterranean coast and the lack of stage races during the early part of the season looked like a recipe for success. And indeed, in its third edition, the first stage race in European soil has managed to attract its best line-up yet, and created, arguably, the most interesting parcours to date. Just one week before…

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Athlete in several sports, writer, film-maker, activist, public speaker… Kathryn Bertine is a multifaceted woman who speaks with unparalleled eloquence about the sport she was part of for several years: professional cycling. Now she’s retired, but that doesn’t mean she’s not involved anymore. Very, very far from that. We caught up with her to discuss the current state of women’s cycling, the changes that have been done, the changes that need to be done, and her own experiences in her relentless journey towards equality. Words and interview by Saul Miguel Photos courtesy of Kathryn Bertine, unless credited 2018 was a…

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1st of April, the big day. The race that everyone wants to win and the biggest classic on the women’s calendar. Yes, we are on the eve of the Ronde van Vlaanderen, and everything in this little women’s cycling world gravitates around it. This time also the eyes of the spectators worldwide, as it will be broadcasted live. More details on this at the end of the preview. Local hero Jolien D’hoore will be wearing the leader’s jersey of the Women’s WorldTour on this special occasion. Probably not something to celebrate in Flanders, though, as it means she won’t be…

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