Chantal van den Broek-Blaak, the Dutch national champion, won’t be taking part in this year’s Tour de France Femmes, even though the race starts in her home city of Rotterdam. The SD Worx rider was surprised to learn that she hadn’t been selected, especially with teammates Lotte Kopecky and Marlen Reusser also missing out. In an interview with WielerFlits, Van den Broek-Blaak said, “I don’t know why I wasn’t chosen, especially since Lotte and Marlen aren’t riding. After winning the national title, I thought I was back at my best. It’s still hard to talk about. It’s been a tough time.”
This unexpected decision is another twist in what has already been a big year for Van den Broek-Blaak. She returned to racing in 2024 after becoming a mother, and in June, she won the Dutch road championship in Arnhem. She called it “the most beautiful win of my career,” because her daughter Noa was there to see her cross the finish line, and Van den Broek-Blaak was able to bring her onto the podium.
Although Van den Broek-Blaak has won many important races, including the World Championships, Tour of Flanders, Strade Bianche, and Amstel Gold Race, she explained that her emotions played a big part in her comment. “I said that in the heat of the moment,” she recalled, “but it’s still one of the best wins of my career. It was a reward for everything. After my pregnancy, I really had to start from scratch, so it was very emotional. Coming back after pregnancy has become more common recently, but it wasn’t an option before.”
Van den Broek-Blaak also shared how her view on returning to racing after having a child has changed. “I used to say that if I wanted children, I would stop racing. Then suddenly it was possible to come back after pregnancy. It shows how women’s cycling has developed. I didn’t put any pressure on myself during my pregnancy. I took things at my own pace, and gradually I got back into it. By the spring, I was fit enough to race, but it wasn’t clicking as it had before. Then I went to Spain for three weeks in April for ‘Plan B,’ and everything fell into place. Mentally, it did me a lot of good: training in the morning and quality time with my daughter in the afternoon. After that, I won the Dutch Championship.”
With her contract at SD Worx ending soon, and the Tour starting so close to home, many expected Van den Broek-Blaak to be at the Grand Départ on Monday. But now, as she thinks about what’s next, the future is unclear. “I don’t know what’s next,” she admitted. “I’m still putting in my hours of training, but without a goal, you can’t keep doing that forever. Right now, the disappointment is still very big, but I’m sure a new goal will come soon. The women’s calendar isn’t quite right this year with the loss of the Tour of Scandinavia. Hopefully, I can go to the European Championships, but only if I’m good enough.”
Looking ahead to next year, Van den Broek-Blaak is still unsure. “I don’t have an end date in mind yet; I need to feel it out. It’s clear that I’m in the later stages of my career, but however it ends, I will close it out beautifully, with this champion’s jersey.” Unlike in 2020, when she prematurely announced her retirement, Van den Broek-Blaak is now keeping her options open. “I should never have done that,” she said. “When that end date came around, I found cycling still too much fun. That’s why I’m leaving it open now. I’ll notice and feel it when the time is right.”
Even though she won’t be racing, Van den Broek-Blaak plans to watch some of the Tour de France Femmes. “I can’t avoid it. Almost all my training roads are already closed, and people from my village keep asking if I’m participating. On Monday, when the Tour goes through Voorne-Putten, I’m not sure if I can bring myself to go and watch, but I’ll definitely be there on Tuesday. There’s a road stage and then a time trial through the streets of Rotterdam.”
Van den Broek-Blaak expects a large turnout for the event in Rotterdam. “I think the second day will be amazing at the Maasboulevard, and I expect a lot of people will come to watch. Hopefully, it will be the same in other cities and villages. On Wednesday, I scouted the stage to The Hague with Lucinda Brand, and we already said: it’s really alive here. Hopefully, the Tour start will be great for women’s cycling in the Netherlands,” she concluded.
