Annemiek van Vleuten says riding for Australian team Orica-Scott was always on her wishlist

ONE of the reasons why Dutch gun Annemiek van Vleuten loves riding for Australian team Orica-Scott is because of the fun they have together off the bikes.

Dutch star Annemiek van Vleuten in action during the 2016 Road World Championships in Qatar.

ONE of the reasons why gun Dutch cyclist Annemiek van Vleuten loves riding for Australian team Orica-Scott is because of the fun they have together off the bikes.

And after her horror fall while leading the women’s road race at the Rio Olympics that left her with spinal fractures and a severe concussion, van Vleuten says it’s especially important for her to remember that there is more to life than cycling.

“For years already the Orica team was on my wish list, but I couldn’t go there because they have limited spots for foreign riders,” van Vleuten said.

“But I stayed in contact with them (and joined for the 2016 season).

“For me, it’s the most professional team I have been in so far.

“I really like the coaches, they’re really serious with their training, but also they don’t take life too seriously and that suits me a lot.

Annemiek van Vleuten in action during the 2016 Road World Championships in Qatar.

“I like to train hard, but I also like to have fun. Life is not just about cycling and after the Rio Olympics I had that lesson again.”

Physically the 34-year-old is healed after her over the top of the handlebars fall.

She fractured three vertebrae, but incredibly was racing — and even more amazingly, winning — the Lotto Belgium Tour less than a month after Rio.

Van Vleuten has spent almost three months in Australia — she rode in October’s Crocodile Trophy in North Queensland — and in Geelong on Sunday will start as one of the favourites for the three-day Mitchelton Bay Cycling Classic.

But while she bares no physical scars from her crash after which she lay motionless on the Brazil pavement for several minutes, mentally she still suffers.

There’s the memory loss which still has not quite returned, but also the psychological pain of knowing she had an Olympic gold medal within her grasp.

Annemiek van Vleuten after a horrifying crash on the Rio Olympics course. Source: YouTube

“The crash was horrible on television, but for me it was not any different from any other crash I have had in the past,” she said.

“All the time after a crash you’re always a bit more careful, but it hasn’t changed my (outlook on cycling). It’s more that it’s hard to deal with in my head that I was so close to the gold medal.

“The biggest thing to deal with is that kind of disappointment and realising that I made a big mistake that cost me.

“When I am riding and all by myself, sometimes that still goes through my head and I have to deal with that.”

Mitchelton Bay Cycling Classic

January 1-3

Geelong-Portarlington-Williamstown

Originally published as Annemiek van Vleuten says riding for Australian team Orica-Scott was always on her wishlist