Annemiek van Vleuten fainted just hours before World Championship time trial win

The 35-year-old Dutchwoman dominated in Innsbruck, but her day did not get off to an easy start

Annemiek van Vleuten is the 2018 time trial world champion
Photo : Yuzuru SUNADA

(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)

The women’s time trial world champion Annemiek van Vleuten fainted just hours before her dominant performance in Innsbruck.

Van Vleuten took the top spot on an all Dutch podium in the World Championship elite women’s TT, just hours after she fainted during a doping test according to Dutch media.

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Alex Ballinger

Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers.  Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.