World champion closes out career as Norsgaard, Lippert, Gigante step up
Annemiek Van Vleuten with Movistar on the podium at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift(Image credit: Getty Images)
'Tough as nails' is how some have described Annemiek van Vleuten's racing style throughout her 16-year career in professional cycling.
If there is one thing we know about the reigning world champion, it's that she likes to race hard to win, so no one should expect a champagne-sipping parade during her last year of competition before retiring at the end of 2023.
The peloton is undoubtedly bracing for Movistar to support Van Vleuten in her dream of closing out her career, celebrating on the top step of the podium with double overall victories at the Giro d'Italia Donne and Tour de France Femmes, all while wearing the rainbow jersey.
More than a Grand Tour winner, Van Vleuten has been one of the most versatile riders in the peloton, twice winning the road race and time trial world titles, gold in the time trial at the Olympics, a champion in the Spring Classics and Ardennes Classics, and magnificent in the high mountains.
She may have a targeted programme for the Grand Tours in 2023, much like she did in the previous year, but we will likely also see Van Vleuten competing in a full range of early-season Classics, everything from Omloop het Nieuwsblad and Strade Bianche to Tour of Flanders and the Ardennes.
Van Vleuten's performances in the one-day races have sparked some of the most dramatic moments in women's cycling. If we think back to her audacious 104km solo victory to win her first road race world title in Harrogate, victories at Tour of Flanders, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Strade Bianche.
Most recently, there was her comeback from the freak crash, just three days after breaking her elbow in the World Championships team relay, with a stunning victory in the elite women's road race to win the rainbow jersey in Wollongong.
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Annemiek van Vleuten with Movistar at Tour de Romandie (Image credit: Getty Images)
Movistar has a strong core of returning riders to join Van Vleuten for 2023.
The team boast experienced Classic specialist Emma Norsgaard and puncheur-sprinter Arlenis Sierra, along with Katrine Aalerud, Aude Biannic, Jelena Erić, Alicia González, Sara Martín, Lourdes Oyarbide, Paula Andrea Patiño, Gloria Rodríguez, Sheyla Gutiérrez, and Sarah Gigante, who joined at the start of 2022 with enormous stage racing potential.
Movistar supported Van Vleuten to the majority of the team's 24 victories in 2022, and by year's end, she topped both the UCI World Ranking and Women's WorldTour standings, but Norsgaard, Sierra, Eric, Gigante, and Gutiérrez also contributed to the team's win count.
In addition, Movistar had risen to fifth overall in the team standings in both the World Ranking and Women's WorldTour, making the one of the most consistent teams in the peloton.
Movistar have taken steps each season to raise their game and so hiring newcomers Liane Lippert and Floortje Mackaij, both from Team DSM, offer two solid options in the one-day races and stage races in 2023, especially as the team prepares for the departure of van Vleuten at the end of the season.
Other storylines to follow in 2023
Emma Norsgaard (Movistar) at Paris-Roubaix Femmes (Image credit: Getty Images)
Emma Norsgaard offers Movistar one of the most consistent racers in the Spring Classics and flat to medium climbing stage races on the Women's WorldTour. Joining the team in 2021, she had one of her bests seasons that year, winning the overall title at Festival Elsy Jacobs, stages at the Giro d'Italia Donne and Thüringen Ladies Tour. In 2022, she secured three victories, including Le Samyn des Dames, while going on to finish fifth at Gent-Wevelgem, and third overall at RideLondon. Watch for Norsgaard to target the cobbled Classics and mid-summer stage races.
Liane Lippert is one of the most exciting new signings for Movistar. After six seasons with Team DSM, Lippert will join the Spanish WorldTour team with hopes it will help her pursue another step up in her career as Movistar work toward filling the void that will be left by Van Vleuten when she retires at the end of 2023. An all-rounder with wins at Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race (2020), and Lotto Belgium Tour (2018). In 2022, she had a standout season, finishing second overall at the Tour of Scandinavia, fourth at the Worlds, fourth place at the Tour de Romandie and Challenge by La Vuelta, and sixth at Itzulia Women.
Sarah Gigante secured her first European win at Emakumeen Nafarroako in May with Movistar, but her season took a turn when she crashed, sustaining a concussion as a result of a crash at Itzulia Women. After a lengthy recovery, she returned to racing at the Tour of Scandinavia. At just 22 years old, Gigante is full of potential, winning the elite road race national title in 2019 and twice the time trial national title in 2020 and 2021, she also became an Olympian at the 2021 Games. Now fully recovered, watch for Gigante as a major contender in some of the biggest stages race of the season.
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Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews, overseeing the global racing content plan.
Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.
She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.
