AFP Annemiek van Vleuten
NOS Wielrennen•vandaag, 08:48
“I’m going to miss them a bit, yes.” That is what Annemiek van Vleuten, working on her last Tour de France, says about the two Belgian brothers Ronny and Eddy Liedts who have followed her closely for over ten years.
Opinions are divided on whether we can call it a fan club. “There are only two of them,” laughs the 40-year-old reigning world champion. “But I also like that. It has sometimes been suggested whether I wanted a fan club, but that does not suit me.”
Ronny and Eddy Liedts – easily recognizable by their caps with the name Annemiek and a rainbow flag on them – have been following Van Vleuten for over ten years and often go together with Van Vleuten’s mother Ria – who this time follows the Tour from the Netherlands – and uncle Gerard Mocking to the rates.
“When my father passed away, they also took care of my mother. They took her to competitions and I saw that she really enjoyed it.”
When she arrives solo on the Tourmalet, I jump for joy.
Uncle Gerard about Annemiek van Vleuten
Van Vleuten: “If I had finished fourth in the Tour of Flanders, for example, I would have been disappointed. But I also saw that my mother had had a wonderful day. That meant a lot to me.”
Humble Belgians
Van Vleuten does not have much personal contact with the Liedts brothers. “They are very humble and in the background, they are never too much. They are very nice fans, great to have.”
NOSV.l.n.r Ronny Liedts, Eddy Liedts, oom Gerard Mocking
The brothers themselves also say that it is not possible for them to have a regular chat with the two-time road world champion and two-time world time trial champion.
“It’s not the most important thing to speak to Annemiek. The most important thing is to follow the course and let her do her thing. We don’t want to disturb her.”
The two started following Van Vleuten when, at the end of 2012, Ronny, who was also fond of cycling, had to undergo an operation on his femoral artery. “Because Annemiek once had the same injury, I contacted her.”
Since then, they regularly stand along the course at competitions that can be traveled from Belgium. “We weren’t at the World Cup in Australia, you know. That was too far away.”
Accessible
Ronny Liedts calls Van Vleuten “very accessible in her personality”. “Someone who always goes for it and tries to make it a fun match. We will miss that as supporters, to watch it.”
Uncle Gerard, who saw Van Vleuten grow up, also describes her in this way. “What you see, she is. She does not pretend to be better than she is. If we speak to her after a race, she is just Annemiek. In the family circle she is exactly the same person. Only she prefers to talk not about the course,” laughs Mocking.
The “fan club in quotes” has been wondering for some time how long they could continue to enjoy a racing Van Vleuten. “That will end once and this year it will really end. So we will come and watch as much as possible this season.”
Ronny LiedtsThe fan club with a banner by Annemiek van Vleuten
That now brings the three to the south of France. There is no shortage of trust in the company, says Mocking with a laugh. “I got into the car with Ronny and he said: so, we’re going to pick up the yellow.”
For that yellow, or the victory in the Tour de France, a big step can be taken today with a finish on the Tourmalet. Uncle Gerard can already see it all.
“We hope to be on top of the Tourmalet. If she gets there solo, I’ll jump a hole in the air. Then you can roll me up, that would be the ultimate.”
Tour at the NOS
The seventh stage of the Tour de France can be followed live on Saturday at NOS. We are there from the start (4.05 pm) with a live blog and live stream on NOS.nl and in the NOS app and on NPO 1.
The fan club says it will miss the meetings. Mocking: “Then you just look at the women’s race as a fan, while now you look with different eyes. You know someone who can win, that makes it special.”
Really the last season
Or could it still be secretly stuck for another year? If it’s up to the Liedts brothers and Uncle Gerard, yes. “We have said to Annemiek several times: you are the reigning Olympic time trial champion and next year the Games are in Paris, shouldn’t you go there?”
“But then she says, ‘Guys, stop it. This is my last year. It’s been nice once,'” says Mocking. “It is of course also very special that you can still reach this level when you are forty years old. We should not underestimate that.”
2023-07-29 06:48:15
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