Anna van der Breggen: In the driver's seat

Anna van der Breggen is raring to get her season underway. This time there’s been no power data or interval training to think about – or at least not her data. 

Her 2022 of racing will be from behind the wheel of the car, checking the SD Worx riders are well set-up to do what is required for success, in this, her first season as a sports director.

In her final season as a racer the two-time road world champion, achieved a fourth victory at the Giro d'Italia Donne, a record seventh victory in a row at the Flèche-Wallonne, and a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics time trial to complement the time trial bronze and road race gold she secured at the Rio Olympics. 

She was clearly still at the top of her game but Van der Breggen has no regrets about making that move from sports competitor to sports director.

“I could feel that this was the right time for it,” said the new SD Worx DS. 

“Sometimes my motivation was a bit lower in the races … it can’t be like that otherwise you are not training that well anymore and you’re going to be a bad cyclist – and I wouldn’t want that.”

In her new life as part of the SD Worx management team, Van der Breggen has been on a big learning curve. 

She had already been thinking herself into the role during her final year as a racer, mentoring riders and playing a more active role in team tactics. Now being 100 per cent in the DS role, she has spent time in the classroom doing courses on UCI rules and regulations, and learning more about what happens behind the scenes when racing.  

“Since the UCI course, it’s been about figuring out what to do and how to do it right. And yes, Danny [Stam] has done a lot for many years, so it is also about watching how he’s doing it, what’s behind the scenes. 

“When you are a rider you ride your bike, you eat, you sleep and you look at the schedule to see where you are staying and what time you need to be there. Now I am getting to see the other part, and how everything is arranged – making sure that everything is planned right, for example that there are enough cars on the training camp, selecting the right riders for the races, and that everything is in place for them.” 

As well as all the planning for the team, the 31-year-old has become aware of the additional facet of needing to understand the different requirements of the riders and how that all fits together.

“It all takes a bit of planning as there is also the contact with the girls. Everybody needs something different and everybody is different, so my new job is way bigger than being a rider and only focusing on yourself. It’s finding out how to be the most useful and how to put my knowledge to good use.”

Some former racers may not feel so comfortable about immediately becoming a sports director to the riders they were racing alongside in the previous season, and may prefer to work in a different setting. Indeed, former teammate Jolien d’Hoore who also ended her racing career year is doing the role at the under-23 Continental women’s team NXTG by Experza, while Iris Slappendel became a DS to a men’s development team when she retired.

Van der Breggen, however, is happy to take charge of the riders who were, until recently her teammates.

“I will miss the feeling of being in the race, like how it was in Nieuwsblad last year [which Van der Breggen won] – I really liked the atmosphere," said Van der Breggen. 

"When you are in a team that is having a good day, your teammates are having a good day, the feeling we can win this and we are in control. That’s what racing is like when you are in a strong team, and that’s the best feeling. The sports director job is like an in between step.

“And the nice thing is I still can use everything I’ve learned in my career as a cyclist; I can use it to try to make the girls better, to make a good team. But it’s just from a different view.”

Pressure

While the pressure to train and get results as a racer will not be there, and the role will not be as physically demanding, it does not mean that her days will be more relaxed, as the cyclist from Zwolle, Netherlands, has found.

“It’s different but I also like it at the same time. I like the fact that I am not focusing on myself and I am focusing on others. When it’s raining I don’t have to go out on the bike anymore, and that’s a nice thing! When I’m on the bike now, I’m just talking with the girls and not thinking too much, just relaxing. Whereas before, that was the time when I needed to focus on doing the training well.

“But there is a lot more work, especially at training camps which are pretty busy. You start early and you go to bed late, and you are busy the whole day.” 

However, during those intense times, Van der Breggen finds some time to relax with the other members of staff, and play the piano when she’s at home.

Van der Breggen’s first races as a sports director will be the early season Classics races, where she, along with fellow directors Lars Boom and Danny Stam will decide how they share the tasks. No doubt, at some point she will be behind the wheel – something she looks forward to.

“I’m not a bad car driver, but it’ll be about getting used to driving the car in the convoy. I have sat in the car in some races already. Paris-Roubaix was one of them, which was pretty crazy. All I can say is that that cannot be your first race where you drive the car! I will start with the more easy races ... and I hope to get used to it.” 

With the Spring Classics season opener Omloop Het Nieuwsblad around the corner, Van der Breggen is looking forward to this pivotal year in women’s racing, and hopes for more success with SD Worx. Exactly a year ago, the team was celebrating when she took victory at the Flandrian curtain raiser, while Amy Pieters completed the podium.

“It will be an exciting year with a lot of changes and many teams stepping up," said Van der Breggen. The Tour de France will be very exciting. I just want a good strong team with everyone happy. If we have that then the results will come.”