A World Cup, an Olympic gold, three Giros, two Lièges, two Tours of Flanders, Strade Bianche, the San Sebastian Classic, a European championship... Annemiek van Vleuten's career, with such a record, only lacked one Tour de France.
There was only one problem. A small detail that was impossible to overlook. The race did not exist for years. It hasn't been played since 2009, when it was called the Grande Boucle. That is why, when ASO, behind the Tour, Vuelta, Volta and other men's events, presented the renewed Tour Femmes avec Zwift, with eight stages, at the end of 2021, the Dutch cyclist's eyes lit up.
That jersey became the great goal of the 39-year-old Dutch Movistar cyclist, who will retire at the end of 2023. "I like challenges, I will run the big three and the World Cup," he said in January from the Vera concentration . Said and done.
"Yellow is my favorite color," he said on Saturday at Le Markstein after taking the lead with a solo ride of more than 60 km typical of other times, an attack that is already legend.
In fact, the Dutchwoman has achieved a historic double. In four weeks, she has won the Giro Donne and the Women's Tour. On July 10, in Padova, she wore the pink jersey. 14 days later, she started the new Tour at the Eiffel Tower in Paris. This Sunday, on the Superplanche des Belles Filles, she was crowned in a big way, winning the last two stages, both high mountain, making it clear that she was the only possible winner of the race. "Finally I got it. Now I can say it and celebrate it”, she said after crossing the last finish line first.
In men, winning the first two majors of the year (Giro-Tour) has not been seen since Pantani in 1998. On the other hand, in women it has been more common to link both jerseys and Joane Somarriba (2000) achieved it, after Fabiana Luperini ( 1995, 96 and 97) and Catherine Marsal (1990).
The last stage was not a triumphal ride, but Van Vleuten paid tribute to himself with another attack, this time 6 km from the finish line, to which no one could respond. Although the day had its moment of nerves when he punctured just before the Ballon d'Alsace. The Cuban Arlenis Sierra left her bike for him to link up with the peloton. Then she changed mount twice more, before reaching the last ascent, where Mavi García –tenth in the final general– became the head of the race, until the Dutch woman left her behind, like all her rivals.
"I have chills," said Van Vleuten on the podium. “I am super proud to win the first woman to win this new version of the Tour de France. It has been fantastic. This event has to have continuity,” she requested.
Movistar landed in 2018 in the women's squad and with the signing of the Dutch in 2021 they made a great leap. For the Navarre structure, it is the eighth Tour de France after those of Delgado (Reynolds, 1988), the five of Indurain (Banesto, 1991-95) and Pereiro (Caisse d'Épargne, 2006). "It's a dream we're living, that they don't wake us up until after the Vuelta", confessed Sebastián Unzué, team manager, for the historic double.
