Anna van der Breggen is calling for calm. At the end of yet another chaotic, stressful day at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, the SD Worx-Protime rider looks remarkably cool, despite the heat of the afternoon sun. She is in quiet conversation with her sports director, spinning her legs on the rollers tucked away in the corner of a quiet street in Guéret, the sleepy finishing town of stage five. The Dutchwoman has just finished in third place out of a select group of favourites, looking extremely sharp on the rolling, punchy roads of central France’s Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. But she is insistent that we should not get ahead of ourselves.
“I am happy, it is better than I expected before so I am happy to be in this group. I expected more attacks on this last climb but today was long and hard, I think maybe everyone is waiting for the big mountains but for me it was good, I was there,” Van der Breggen tells Rouleur, her answers characteristically straightforward.
The thing is, the 35-year-old has been here before. She may be making her debut in the Tour de France Femmes, but Van der Breggen is no stranger to stage racing. This is a bike rider who has won the Giro d’Italia Donne – for a long time the most challenging Grand Tour on the calendar for women’s peloton – on four occasions. She has fought for leader’s jerseys, she has defended them and she has kept the focus and patience required to triumph when the stakes are highest time and time again.
“I know a bit about how to do this,” the 35-year-old smiles. “What you need mostly in this bunch is a team to keep you up the front and I have that. So far, so good. When the real climbs are starting I know it is more up to me, so it will be totally different. So far, I'm enjoying it and I’m happy to be here on GC in this spot.”
For all that we are reading into the results of the first five stages of this bike race, for all the analysis we can do on individual performances, for all the quotes we can get from sports directors and predictions we can make about the next few days, Van der Breggen believes that we need to wait. When the race heads diagonally through the Massif Central, then up and up into the Alps, this is when the road will decide who is really in contention to win the yellow jersey. Van der Breggen, with her 14 years as a professional bike racer, knows this better than anyone.
“The Tour has saved the hard stages until the end. Everyone is excited about who is strong and who isn’t and today we could see a bit, but a three kilometre climb is totally different to a 15km climb and we have that two times in a stage. It will still be exciting and I’m very curious too,” the former world champion says with a smile.
When it comes to her expectations for her own performance, Van der Breggen is also maintaining a sense of composure. Her results so far at the Tour have been encouraging, but the Dutch rider also knows that her sixth place in the Giro d’Italia Women a few weeks ago – while respectable – does not point to her necessarily having the form to win the yellow jersey.
“It’s difficult to say [if I can win the Tour de France Femmes], today was good but everything needs to be right on the days we have the long climbs. I need to keep up with the recovery like I am now and I hope to still feel good when the big mountains are coming, otherwise one minute is nothing,” Van der Breggen comments pragmatically.
Everything about the SD Worx-Protime rider is relaxed. There is not a hint of anxiety in her tone, not even a small sign of stress in her aura. Riding a stage race is as exhausting mentally as it is physically, and Van der Breggen’s ability to remain calm in the face of pressure – a skill she has perfected time and time again when she has won the biggest bike races in the world – could be what keeps her fresh for a crucial final weekend. It’s true that the competition in the women’s peloton is hotter than ever, but Van der Breggen, as always, seems imperturbable.
