Annemiek van Vleuten signs for Movistar
The reigning world champion is leaving Mitchelton-Scott after five years of dominance
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Annemiek van Vleuten will be leaving Mitchelton-Scott for Movistar.
The Dutch superstar will be leaving her current team after five seasons of dominating the women’s peloton.
Van Vleuten, reigning world champion, will join the Spanish Women’s WorldTour team on a two year deal.
The 37-year-old said: “I'm not the youngest in the peloton anymore, but I am super ambitious and I want to do very well with this team. It is not in my head to think about retirement, far from it. Right now what matters to me is to keep improving.
“Hopefully joining this team and enjoying this new environment will give me new energy. In addition to improving that performance, I see this opportunity as a good time to join a team of young girls who, after these years of growth of the Movistar Team, surely can take advantage of having someone like me by their side, who transmits those little things to them, those important tips to take the last big leap.
“I like working with young talents, and helping them and also supporting Spanish cycling is another goal for me here.”
Van Vleuten has history with Movistar dating back to 2014, when one of the team’s coaches invited her to train with the men’s team in Sierra Nevada, Spain.
The training session was the first time Van Vleuten had ridden with a men’s squad, an approach she has become famed for as she now regularly rides with the men’s Mitchelton team.
She said: “We trained quietly, they waited for me after the climbs, each one did their work and every day, after dinner, you could tell that there was good vibes in the team, they got together to stay a while longer instead of going back to their rooms ... I even played table tennis one day with Alejandro Valverde!
“With the women's team, the feeling is the same.”
Van Vleuten will transform the Movistar squad when she arrives, as the outfit have been lacking an international star. The team hope Van Vleuten can win big in a huge range of races.
>>> UCI will announce new venue for World Championships this week
Manager of the Movistar women’s team, Sebastian Unzue, said: “Her greatness lies in the fact that she is, perhaps, the only cyclist who, from my point of view, is capable of winning any race on the calendar. For the team it is a great challenge, a great motivation and it allows us to aim high and aspire to win, or be in front, in the most important races on the calendar.”
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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.
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