"The motivation is great to get back on the bike after three years. It's an exciting decision. If I didn't feel the motivation, I would never be able to do this. That was also the reason why I decided to stop in 2021 after the Tokyo Olympics. I had been doing the same thing for years and felt I was tired. I was able to win a lot of competitions, but physically and mentally it also takes a lot out of you. After a three-year period where I looked at cycling from a different angle, I feel that the motivation and the will to cycle is completely back. I am excited to come back. To suffer on the bike again and to race with the team again. I realise now how much I love the game, the sport and the competition."

Sports manager Danny Stam: "We had already noticed for some time that during stage races Anna increasingly started cycling a bit herself. We are happy to have another world-class cyclist in the team with her. We hope she can grow to that high level again. We are confident about that. If Anna has doubts about something, she won't do it. That certainly applies to this big step."

"My mindset will be different. I will be less focused on wins in certain races or on having clear goals. After this long break, I feel it is a privilege to be able to ride races and be a cyclist again. For mn the next six months, I will train a lot and work on my fitness. I am curious to see what level I can get back to. Of course I aim to become a better cyclist than in my previous period. Whether that succeeds always remains the question."

"Do I still want to be a winner? Of course I feel competition in me. I always want to win. However, that doesn't mean you always  can win. That's fine too, because that only makes the victories you have more beautiful. When you have to struggle to get somewhere, it just makes the rewards later more beautiful. In any case, for me it is a privilege to be a cyclist again soon in 2025."

World champion Lotte Kopecky: "I am looking forward to racing with Anna in the coming years. I just joined the team when she quit and I actually regretted that at the time. If you see Anna still training with us at training camp, we didn't just ride her off, on the contrary. I think it's a good choice and she won't regret it."

Follow Anna on

Previous rider | Next rider