The most indestructible athlete competing in Australia this weekend won’t be found on a footy field.
Instead, she’ll be on a bicycle, pedalling her guts out at the UCI world championships in Wollongong.
Every elite cyclist is as tough as nails but none more so than Annemiek van Vleuten, the Dutch superstar who is the favourite to win Saturday’s 164 km road race.
Already a multi-world champion and Olympic gold medallist, van Vleuten is attempting to win another title this weekend while riding with a broken elbow.
That’s right – she fractured her funny bone – just days ago, when her front tyre exploded during the team trial in downtown Wollongong.
Wincing in pain, she was taken to hospital where x-rays confirmed the bust – then was back in the saddle the very next morning preparing to race this weekend.
And no-one was surprised.
“If it was anyone other than Annemiek van Vleuten with a broken elbow, they’re probably not going to race,” Australia’s Amanda Spratt said.
“I think she’s the toughest, most resilient – I don’t want to say crazy, but just yeah, I can 100% imagine her starting on Saturday.”
Van Vleuten’s toughness is legendary.
In 2016 at the Rio Olympics, she was involved in one of the most frightening crashes ever seen in elite cycling.
It was so horrific that viewers initially thought the pint-sized rider had been killed.
She was knocked out cold and suffered horrendous injuries including spinal fractures – but was back riding 10 days later.
Turning 40 next month, she’s in the best form of her life but is planning to retire next year so wants to make the most of every opportunity left. Which is why the Aussies think she’ll be even harder to beat this weekend with a broken elbow.
“She will obviously be taking some painkillers and I’m sure she’ll be heavily strapped and doing what she can to push through but I think there’s certain races where you’re willing to take that sort of risk and push your body more and the world championships is sort of the biggest race we have,” Spratt said.
“The Olympics is the other one where you might just ride through that and just put up with the pain and whatever further damage you might do.
“I think that’s a risk it sounds like she’s willing to take and given it’s a one day race, it’s just one day where she has to put up with it.
“I’m sure everyone’s legs will be burning and maybe she just thinks her legs will be hurting more than her elbow at that point. So I think we are a bit of a crazy breed sometimes and we can push through sort of pain and put our bodies on that limit. And she’s probably one of the best athletes at that.
“Any cyclist will tell you the world championships is probably the biggest event that you could win and want to win. You get to wear the rainbow jersey for a whole year. So anyone would do anything to become world champion.”
Led by van Vleuten, the Dutch women are an irresistible force in the women’s race, having at least one medallist in each of the last years.
But the Australians have plenty of success, with Spratt winning the silver medal in 2018 and the bronze a year later.
Born in nearby Penrith, Spratt is again looming as one of Australia’s best contenders to win the coveted rainbow jersey but knows the woman she has to beat is still the injured Dutch star.
I think she’s going to come out and be crazy in the road race,” Spratt said.
“She’s going to be even more fired up to put in a great performance. She loves it. She knows how tough she is.”
