Van Vleuten, selfie in yellow. It's a Giro-Tour double

Her album is enriched with another frameable image. Her showcase expands to make room for a new trophy. And the list of adjectives to describe her becomes endless. Annemiek Van Vleuten also dominates at La Super Planche des Belles Filles, triumphing in the yellow jersey in the eighth and final stage of the Tour Femmes.

On the tremendous twenty-four percent slopes of the Vosges mountains, the thirty-nine-year-old Dutchwoman is 30" ahead of her compatriot Vollering (second overall) and an increasingly surprising 1'43” Perch (fifth in the standings) which in turn is a few metres ahead Unknown, third on the final podium. Sixth at the finish line (and in the overall standings) Longo Borghini.

With the conquest of the Tour Femmes The Movistar leader has definitively entered the legend of women's cycling. She is the fourth athlete to complete the pairing with Giro d'Italia Donne (won last July 10) in the same seasonBut beware, it might not end there. The Challenge by La Vuelta takes place in Spain from September 7th to 11th, and the triple crown is in its sights.

The Oranje supremacy was quite marked. In addition to the six stage victories, two each for Wiebes, Vos and Van Vleuten, all the other specialty rankings also went to the Dutch. Vollering took the polka-dotted jersey, Your the green one and Van Anrooij the white one.

Martha Cavalli, who had been eliminated too early from the race due to a bad fall, could have challenged this dominance, at least for the general classification? We know very well that history is not made with ifs and buts, but We wanted to hear the impressions of those who tried to upset the bank at the last Giro.

Let's start with your condition, Marta. How are you?

There's nothing particularly new beyond what we already know. Everything is proceeding normally, I feel better physically, even if I'm not super. Morally I'm betterInitially, I was upset about giving up. Then, considering the fall, after a few days, I see the glass half full. It's a good thing I didn't break anything. I still haven't gotten back on my bike, and I don't know when I will. In the next few days, however, I'll have more checkups and I'll have a better idea of ​​the recovery time. I'm motivated, I aim to be back for the season finale.

Unfortunately, you found yourself watching the Tour from home. Did the race go as you expected?

Of course I followed him but I can't tell you where and how I would have seen myself. Too difficult to predict. Compared to yesterday's stage and today's I can say that they went as they were supposed to go. Maybe I would have been there but my fall affected a few things.

Explain yourself better…

Now I had to go back home and I'm still really sorry I wasn't there. But if I had continued after that blow, how would I have run, how would my team have run? We would have been affected. And perhaps my team actually was. Perhaps my fall also affected team and personal tactics. I think that will remain a question mark of this Tour.

Your team has recovered very well since your retirement.

I have to say they ran well. I can tell you that my classmates on the bus that evening were shocked when they saw my fall again.It was a shocking blow, and they weren't entirely convinced about throwing themselves back into the fray the next day. When you lose an athlete like that, especially if she's one of the two captains, it's not easy to think about the race. I know it wasn't easy for the girls and our coaches to find motivation. But then Cecilie (Ludwig, ed.) won the very next day and turned his Tour and that of the whole team around.And I'm very happy. Even if we were to end the season here, we'd be happy, and we've drawn great lessons for next year.

Guazzini also had a great Tour.

For Vittoria I'm really happy. I always believed she could race abroad and in the WorldTour. I always told her that. Before she came to the FDJ, I had cleared up some of her doubts and encouraged her to accept the proposal. She's a jack-of-all-trades girl who's incredibly fast, a bottomless well of strength and generosity.Our technicians had her do the first part of the season on a conservative basis to get to know her better and now they've seen who she is. I feel like saying that this is a bet that I and our team won..

You battled with Van Vleuten at the Giro, but she always wins. How do you beat her?

A I'm happy that Annemiek won in France too because she's a role model for us who want to beat her. Her victory also makes me understand the level of the other athletes.I don't know if she was ahead or behind in terms of condition compared to the Giro, but I know that even when she's at the top she's attackable and beatable (Cavalli won Amstel e Fleche Wallonneand detaching Van Vleuten, ed.). And then new generations are growing. And There are some great discoveries like Persico, who has shown that he is strong not only in cyclocross but also on long, tough climbs.

Will Van Vleuten still be the one to beat in stage races in 2023?

I really think so. I don't think he'll have a bad last season.She's now reached 95 career victories; if she doesn't reach triple figures sooner, she'll want to do so next year. And she'll be one to watch at the World Championships, which is tough. I think she wouldn't mind racing in 2023 in the rainbow jersey. Even if we Italians will give her a hard time.