The sight of Annemiek van Vleuten has grow to be a standard sight on the roads of Colombia over every winter of the previous three years. She as soon as used the excessive elevation of the paved roads for coaching, to construct into the early street season along with her Movistar Staff. This 12 months the Dutch rider could have an altogether completely different motivation as she works her means throughout the rugged terrain of the Andes for the eight days of Transcordilleras.
The Transcordilleras Rally Colombia has taken maintain as a formidable gravel race with former WorldTour execs like Laurens ten Dam, Thomas Dekker and Peter Stetina driving laborious throughout the three imposing mountain ranges alongside South America’s equator. For this version, Ten Dam and Dekker return to compete within the continuous, self-supported class, whereas the eight-day, self-supported stage race contains newcomers Russell Finsterwald, who received Large Sugar Gravel in 2022, and Whitney Allison, who was second total on the 2023 Belgian Waffle Trip Quadrupel Crown.
Van Vleuten, however, is not going to be pinning a quantity on, so don’t search for her to dash to any mountain summits or end traces in opposition to the opposite retired street and mountain bike execs, as it’s the supported occasion she has opted for. Since retiring final fall from a 16-year street profession, she says it’s time to as a substitute get pleasure from new elements of Colombia off a street bike and with no considered competitors.
“I’m not racing for a outcome, only for the journey, and simply to complete it, or perhaps not,” she laughed as she informed Cyclingnews about her time in Colombia this 12 months. “If I really feel like ending, I’ll end. So I just like the idea.”
The idea is a bicycle trip, not a race. Alongside along with her boyfriend and a former teammate, Van Vleuten embarks on the eight-day Transcordilleras this Sunday with Altos, a bicycle journey firm, and can trip the ‘lazy model’. Altos will prepare all motels, clear and restore bikes with supplied mechanics, and permit for a extra relaxed expedition on blended terrain, which incorporates loads of tough gravel and washed-out dust paths.
“I additionally need to take part right here as a result of individuals assume for certain I will likely be aggressive. Individuals say, ‘Why are you not racing there?’ However that half, I’m performed with racing. I had the stress to carry out and I needed to go for outcomes. Been there, performed that,” Van Vleuten stated.
“That is simply tremendous good, a brand new means of having fun with the bike. I’m not within the race and it feels very nice.”
Her former Rabobank-Liv Biking teammate, Iris Slappendel – who retired from street racing in 2016 and co-founded The Cyclists Alliance – accepted a late invitation to affix the journey.
“Iris Slappendel was eager for a gravel journey and I believe it’s extra enjoyable to do that good journey collectively. So I see this as a solution to see Colombia by bike,” Van Vleuten stated. “I’ll see many good roads I’ve by no means seen earlier than as a result of I used to be solely coaching on my street bike. It’s a spot I do know already, however [gravel] is new for me.
“After all, I had contact with Laurens [ten Dam] concerning the gear and the supplies, and the width of the tyres, as a result of I’ve no clue about gravel.”
A fellow Dutchman, Ten Dam was the right rider to ask, given completed second to Stetina on the 2022 Transcordilleras after which received the 2023 outing of 852km and 21,000 metres of climbing.
“Additionally I’ve a little bit bit of hysteria that it is going to be a minimal of six hours every day so it is not going to really feel a lot like a relaxed day. We are going to get some challenges. It’s a part of the enjoyment to undergo a bit,” she stated.
A part of the anxiousness got here from being off the bike for 4 weeks earlier than travelling to South America. She arrived on the finish of January to take part in a six-day, luxurious tour across the Colombian Espresso area with Altos, climbing to the very best paved street of Colombia to Alto de Letras (4,000 metres) and staying close to an lively volcano. It was on a street bike with a small group of riders on vacation, and served to get her some hours within the saddle and her physique adjusted to the elevation close to the Andes.
“I didn’t actually prepare or put together for it. Really, I didn’t prepare in any respect. The final 4 weeks earlier than I got here right here to Colombia I used to be with my mom, having a pleasant vacation collectively. I didn’t contact my bike for 4 weeks. So I might really feel that after I acquired right here and began to trip the bike once more.
A little bit of a dent in bike health, nevertheless, is not one thing to worry however simply part of the brand new section the place the bike is not a device of commerce, however as a substitute one among recreation.
“It’s time for brand new challenges and I’ll nonetheless benefit from the bike.”
