2022 Outsiders of the Year
Van Vleuten dominated the 2022 pro cycling season, which culminated with her victory at the inaugural Tour de France Femmes Dutch cyclist Annemiek van Vleuten was already a towering figure in professional cycling prior to last summer’s inaugural Tour de France Femmes . Van Vleuten, 40, has three world titles, and she’s won nearly every major race on the women’s circuit. Her gold-medal ride in the individual time trial at the Tokyo Olympics took place just days after she’d taken silver in the road race, making her the only cyclist in more than a decade to medal in both road-cycling events at the same Games.
Yet on July 23, Van Vleuten could not contain her emotion after crossing the finish line atop the Super Planche des Belles Filles climb in eastern France to clinch her overall victory at the Tour de France Femmes.
“This is actually a dream that came true, winning in yellow on the top,” Van Vleuten said, fighting back tears. “Finishing here, in yellow, solo, is the best way.”
Van Vleuten’s elation spoke to the importance that the Tour de France Femmes now holds within women’s cycling following its debut. The eight-day race kicked off on the Champs-Élysées on July 24, just as the men’s race held its final stage on the same streets. French TV reported 2.3 million viewers per day, with a peak of 5.1 million tuning in for the final stage. Those statistics made the Tour de France Femmes the most […]
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