Van Vleuten shares how she landed her new role at Fenix-Deceuninck: "This is how Roodhooft presented it to me"

Surprising news came on Friday: Annemiek van Vleuten is joining Fenix-Deceuninck as a performance mentor. The Dutch cyclist has embraced a new challenge in the sport after retiring as a pro rider at the end of 2023. On her personal website, Van Vleuten shared a detailed account of how she came into this role with the Belgian team, which includes riders like Puck Pieterse.

"For 2024, I had resolved not to jump straight into a new goal," Van Vleuten reflected. "I knew I wanted to work with riders as a coach, but in what kind of role? As a team manager, trainer, sports psychologist…? Many options crossed my mind, but I wanted to take time to think and distance myself a bit. At the same time, it was exciting and I thought that without a new goal, I might feel empty or aimless. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case. I quickly realized I could also be happy without constantly chasing a new development goal," she concluded.

"My plans for training and possible future options were put on hold. I wanted to enjoy the freedom of 2024 and see what opportunities came my way," Van Vleuten added. However, her inbox didn’t entirely cooperate with that plan. "Well after the spring races, a few teams reached out to me. I was definitely interested in discussing how they thought I could contribute to their teams. One team initially proposed a management role. But at this point, that felt like it would be too soon for me. I’m much more motivated by working with people and passing on the experience I’ve gained as a top athlete."

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Van Vleuten praises Philip Roodhooft

"My conversation with Philip Roodhooft was very pleasant and open," Van Vleuten said of the process that led to her Fenix-Deceuninck role. "I think it's important that women and men on the same team are offered the same facilities. Also, it quickly became clear to me that Philip has a clear vision for this team. Riders are recruited because they see talent in them, and then plans are made to develop that talent further."

"It is not a team of riders who are already winners the moment they join the team," Van Vleuten explained. "I was positively surprised by the well-organized structure and everything in place within the team. I’ve watched this team start out as a group of cyclo-cross riders who were riding in a road program together. But they kept on developing, to the point where I feel that, in 2023, their breakthrough really happened, and we began to take into account their plans at Fenix-Deceuninck."

"I’m excited to work with riders and think about how they can improve while also maintaining balance. I like the way the team thinks about performance. During my career, I have also experienced and seen how important it is to preserve that balance while still striving for improvement," said the former cyclist.

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Van Vleuten continues to pursue other activities

"What also appealed to me is that this is a fantastic opportunity for me to develop myself within a cycling team. I liked the way Philip presented this to me as well — as a journey of discovery for both sides. I think neither of us has fully defined how I can contribute to this team as a performance mentor, but there’s a clear mutual desire to bring substantive input. In any case, I’ll be joining the team for several races, recons, and altitude training camps."

"It’s a part-time role, so I’ll also continue my other activities alongside it (as a mental health and performance behavior expert for NOCNSF, an NOS analyst, and a keynote speaker)," Van Vleuten explained. She’s already looking forward to the job. "A new challenge. And it's already energizing me as to think about how I can contribute to the team in this role. In January and February, I’ll attend a few days of the team’s training camp in Spain. After that, I’ll join races and recons, starting with Omloop and Strade Bianche."

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