Anna’s road racing season
has seen her win at La Flèche
Wallonne Féminine (top left)
and at the Amgen Tour of
California (bottom left).
“But I think crossing over between
disciplines is good for pro cycling as a
whole. It creates added public interest
and media focus. On a personal level,
racing some mountain bike events
last year refreshed me and definitely
helped with my Worlds preparation
[Anna dominated the savage Innsbruck
parcours]. So yes, I trained more and
raced less in 2018, and this has helped
with my motivation moving forward.”
Speaking of which, this year has
already been a successful (and
interesting) one for Anna. After
competing sparingly in the early road
racing season, the Boels-Dolmans
rider placed second to Langvad at
February’s Cyprus Sunshine Cup. Her
off-road ambitions carried on in South
Africa, with victory in the Absa Cape
Epic. Then it was back to Europe to
re-acquaint with her day job. Riding
herself back into form at the Healthy
Ageing Tour and Amstel Gold Race,
Anna was too strong for the peloton
on the Mur de Huy, claiming her fifth
consecutive La Flèche Wallonne title.
Now fresh from defending her overall
title at the Amgen Tour of California,
Anna has her sights set on the Giro
Rosa. “I definitely think I’ll be returning
to the Giro Rosa,” she says. “I wasn’t
too motivated for it last year so I’m
quite excited about it now. And of
course, there is La Course and the
World Championships to focus on.” ●
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