Annemiek van Vleuten, a former Tour de France winner and multiple-time world champion, introduced that she’s going to be a part of Fenix-Deceuninck as a efficiency mentor in 2025.
“New crew, new problem! Shall be becoming a member of Fenix-Deceuninck as efficiency mentor. Sit up for sharing my expertise from the previous with the following era and serving to them to change into higher athletes,” Van Vleuten stated in a submit to her social media channels on Friday.
Her new function might embrace working with among the sport’s prime riders, together with mountain bike World Champion and Tour de France’s finest younger rider Puck Pieterse and Tour de France’s basic classification podium finisher Pauliena Rooijakker, amongst others, of their pursuits on the Girls’s WorldTour.
Nonetheless, she stated that whereas it’s confirmed she’s going to work intently with a choose few riders, the small print haven’t but been confirmed.
“We nonetheless need to determine that out a bit. It’s kind of of a journey of discovery for myself and for the crew. However I am positively going to suppose together with the athletes and see how we will get one of the best out of this crew,” Van Vleuten stated in a narrative printed on NOS.
“The concept is to work with three riders in concrete phrases. It isn’t but identified which three riders it will likely be. I’ll be a part of the crew on the coaching camp in January and get to know everybody.
“It might be that I’ll work with Puck. She is going to first do her ‘cross season and we’ll depart her alone for some time. I positively see Puck as a possible Tour winner. She has loads of expertise. However I feel we have now to information her. She has to find herself. And I feel she must try this by making selections in what she actually needs to excel in. On this crew, the primary factor is that the rider makes the selection himself and that additionally it is about having enjoyable.
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“Since I used to be approached this spring, I’ve certainly began following Pauliena with a bit extra curiosity. Then you definitely see somebody who has began to find herself as a classification rider. In fact, I acknowledge myself in that very a lot. We would have the ability to pace up her course of a bit by considering together with Pauliena. And generally it is nearly giving belief.”
Van Vleuten retired from skilled racing on the finish of 2023 following a profitable 16 years that was highlighted by victories on the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta Femenina, Olympic Video games and main occasions on the Spring Classics similar to Tour of Flanders and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
Van Vleuten stated that crew co-owner Philip Roodhooft reached out to her within the spring to gauge her curiosity in working with Fenix-Deceuninck.
“He stated: ‘we have now the concept we nonetheless want one thing to let the riders take the ultimate step. We expect that you may contribute to that,'” Van Vleuten confirmed.
“That is an amazing alternative for me to develop myself as a coach. I knew I did not need to be a crew chief within the automobile, as a result of I feel others are higher at that tactically. And I did not need to be a coach both. So this ‘unfastened function’ could be very good for me.”
Van Vleuten additionally stated that she had mentioned potential alternatives working within the skilled peloton as a coach along with her long-time coach Louis Delahaije, whereas additionally wanting into sports activities psychology. “I feel that’s maybe essentially the most fascinating half. And the place I can contribute most to the event of the riders,” she stated.
Van Vleuten defined extra about her resolution to tackle a brand new function with Fenix-Deceuninck on her web site annemiekvanvleuten.nl. She stated that she was approached by a number of groups however that she selected Fenix-Deceuninck as a result of they have been “very nice and open”.
“I feel it will be important that men and women in the identical crew are provided the identical amenities. As well as, it rapidly grew to become clear to me that Philip Roodhooft actually has a transparent imaginative and prescient with this crew. Riders are recruited as a result of they see expertise in them after which plans are made to additional develop this expertise. It isn’t a crew of riders who’re already winners once they be a part of the crew,” she wrote.
“I used to be positively shocked by the well-organized construction and every little thing that has been organized inside this crew. I noticed this crew begin as a crew the place some ‘crossers rode a street program collectively, however this crew continued to develop the place in my view the breakthrough actually got here in 2023 and we additionally began to consider the plans that have been made inside Fenix-Deceuninck.
“I discover it fascinating to work with riders and suppose together with them about how they’ll enhance themselves but additionally all the time need to preserve the steadiness. I like how this crew thinks about ‘efficiency’. Throughout my profession, I’ve additionally skilled and seen how vital it’s to maintain that steadiness, however inside that to search for issues that might be higher.
“What additionally attracted me is that additionally it is an amazing alternative to develop myself inside a biking crew. I assumed it was nice that Philip introduced it to me on this approach: as a journey of discovery for either side. I feel that neither of us has a transparent thought of how and what I can add to this crew as a ‘efficiency mentor’, however there’s a clear need from either side to make a substantive contribution.”
New crew, new problem! Shall be becoming a member of @FenixDeceuninck as efficiency mentor. Sit up for share my expertise from the previous with the following era and to assist them te change into higher athletes. Some extra info (sorry in Dutch) at https://t.co/FbntcPpVPB pic.twitter.com/VqoruOcJUkDecember 20, 2024
Welcome @AvVleuten to @FenixDeceuninck as a efficiency mentor! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/yuSWHyi2IDDecember 20, 2024
