Anna van der Breggen stood on the podium with a look of relief and satisfaction as she pulled on the rainbow jersey after winning the elite women's road race at the 2018 UCI Road Worlds Championships in Innsbruck, Austria, on Saturday.
Mouthing the words to Dutch national anthem Wilhelmus van Nassouwe, she perked up and smiled when she noticed one particular section of fans wearing orange t-shirts with painted faces among the seas of spectators – three women who had travelled from Holland to see their childhood friend win her first world title.
"It was so special for me to see them because normally I don't have my people standing at the side of the road watching me race," Van der Breggen said. "For these World Championships, I knew that they were expecting a bit more from me.
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"I went out for dinner on Thursday night with 14 people, and it was really special to have the feeling that they had all travelled here for me, and to watch and support me in this race. Of course, it makes it even more special to be able to win this race in front of my closest family and friends."
Van der Breggen's victory at the World Championships has been a long time coming. She had won every major event in professional women's cycling with gold medals, winners' trophies and title jerseys from the Olympic Games, Giro Rosa, Tour of Flanders, all three Ardennes Classics and Strade Bianche. The list is long.
The only glaring void in her palmarès was the World Championship title, and, after a decade of racing, the pressure had mounted, and she had begun to struggle with the idea that she may never be a world champion.
Double Dutch leadership
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via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/party-time-for-van-der-breggen-as-rainbow-jersey-plan-comes-together
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