In Year Two of Surprise Comeback, Anna Van Der Breggen Shows Ominous Form

Anna van der Breggen is one of the best riders in the history of the sport but didn’t quite fire on all cylinders in season one of her comeback in 2025.

However things may be about to change in this, the second year of her return, with signs of blossoming form as she heads towards one of the most important phases of her season.

The Dutch SD Worx Protime rider was one of the most dominant riders in Sunday’s edition of the Trofeo Alfreda Binda, pushing the pace on the climbs but ultimately being outsprinted for the win by her compatriot Karlijn Swinkels (UAE Team ADQ).

No matter: she’s not known as a sprinter and the more important thing is how good she looked during the race.

“It was a tough finish and everyone was on their last legs,” she said, explaining the finale. “At the top of the final climb, I hadn’t managed to shake off Karlijn Swinkels. So I knew it would be difficult to win.

“Swinkels is good on the descents and sprints fast too. She’s simply a versatile rider. At no point did I feel I could shake her off. She was alert and kept a close eye on things. If I’d made a move, she would have closed the gap. So I had no choice but to wait for the sprint.”

Away with Swinkels and Mie Bjørndal Ottestad (Uno-X Mobility) following her attacks on the climbs, Van der Breggen dispatched the latter on the Orina ascent with just under 8.5km to go. However she then stopped working with Swinkels, enabling Ottestad to return.

The latter then tried to jump clear but her move was covered. Van der Breggen waited and then launched her sprint, but Swinkels also kicked at the same time and was able to get past her to land her first WorldTour win.

An unlikely comeback

When Van der Breggen announced a shock return to the sport in June 2024, her decision made headlines.

She is one of the most successful riders in cycling, winning some of the biggest races in the sport, including two road race world championships, one world TT crown, the Olympic title plus a record seven editions of La Flèche Wallonne Féminine.

Her 63 victories also include two editions of Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes, plus one of the Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile, the Tour of Flanders, Strade Bianche Donne and the Amstel Gold Race.

Simply put, she’s a huge deal and so her decision to walk away from the sport towards the end of 2021 was a big shock.

Van der Bretten was just 31 year of age then but had run out of enthusiasm. That appeared to be the end of her career but she stunned again in mid 2024 when she announced a planned return to the sport.

The-then 34 year old talked about rediscovering her love of cycling and of her desire to race, and had a very respectable first season back. She won a stage of the Vuelta España Femenina, was second in Strade Bianche and third in the European road championships.

She was also runner-up in the world TT championships, second on a stage of the Giro d’Italia Women and third on a stage of the Tour de France Femmes.

Good? Absolutely, but her results were not as dominant as she had been before. Age was a possibility, of course, but the long break from racing seemed to be a more likely reason. Year two would show if that was indeed the case.

A positive note

Until Sunday, Van der Breggen’s performances this year were a little below expectations. She was a non-starter on the crucial final stage of the UAE Tour Women due to illness, and went on to take 17th in the Omloop Nieuwsblad and 18th in Strade Bianche Donne.

But Sunday was different. She had much more of her old spark in the Trofeo Alfreda Binda and when three of the team’s riders were involved in a crash approximately 90km into the race, she had to try to keep things under control.

“On the descent, a small group broke away and I found myself with three riders from UAE Team ADQ. It wasn’t really my intention to stay away with that group, as the final sprint of the Trofeo Alfredo Binda suits Blanka Vas very well. But behind us, not much was happening in the peloton. So we stayed at the front.”

Van der Breggen wasn’t a match for Swinkels in the final gallop to the line, but could have fared better had there been an uphill finish.

She’ll benefit from a more difficult parcours in her next races, but, until then, takes encouragement from how thing went on Sunday.

“How do I feel after Trofeo Alfredo Binda? Personally, I’m leaving on a positive note,” she said.

“It was a great race. I’m happy with my current form. I now have a block of altitude training to further prepare for the Ardennes classics. My next race is the Brabantse Pijl.”

If she comes back from altitude in even better shape, past glories in the Ardennes may yet be repeated.

Results: Trofeo Alfredo Binda