The past two months have been a rollercoaster for Dutch rider Annemiek van Vleuten. In August, a horrific crash at the Olympic Games had left many watching fearing for her life and resulted in three broken vertebrae. Fast forward to the elite women time trial at the UCI Road World Championships, and she claimed fifth place just 25 seconds behind the winner.
The result brought closure to a challenging part of her career and allowed her to release the emotional stress that she didn't even know she had.
"When I look back now, I think with what happened to me," she told Cyclingnews, taking a moment to compose herself as the weight of the last two months came rushing through.
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"I now realise when you asked me. I've been through so much. It's all now falling off me. I was really focusing on this event, and it wasn't hard for me to focus after Rio because Rio also gave me a lot of positive energy and I really hoped that the miracle would continue today so I'm a bit disappointed that I didn't make the podium."
Van Vleuten blamed being too conservative for missing out on a medal, saying that watching some of the under 23 riders go out too hard on Monday had worried her. But when you consider what she has been through it is hard to understand how she could possibly be disappointed but it is also an insight into the determination that had her winning bike races just a few weeks after the incident.
Van Vleuten had been in the form of her life in the Olympic road race as she dropped all of her rivals and looked set to claim the biggest victory of her career.
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