With Loes Gunnewijk’s departure, the Royal Dutch Cycling Union (KNWU) is on the lookout for a new national coach for the women’s team. The search quickly pointed to last year’s retiree, Annemiek van Vleuten. However, the multi-time world champion has declined the offer.
“It was never an official question, but when I was sounded out, I already said no,” Van Vleuten told NOS. “It’s a role where you can mostly do things wrong. You can almost only lose,” she said. “As a national coach, you have very little influence on the riders since you only see them a few times a year. Plus, they ride with earpieces all year, except in national races. Good luck with that…”
Van Vleuten added, “A national team remains a makeshift formation; thinking you can turn it into a cohesive team is an illusion, especially with so many stars in the squad. Gunnewijk managed to assign clear roles to everyone, which we saw in Zurich. But we also saw a leader (referring to Demi Vollering, ed.) who didn’t make the right decisions and perhaps couldn’t handle the pressure.”
KNWU Expects Quick Clarity: “Several Candidates”
So, if Van Vleuten isn’t stepping up, who will? Wilbert Broekhuizen, the technical director of KNWU, expects to have an answer soon. “I think we can announce a new national coach fairly quickly. Things look promising. Many people have shown interest in the position. We’ve had multiple conversations with several diverse candidates.”
Broekhuizen pointed out that the cooperation within the Dutch team has already improved significantly. “In recent years, we’ve undergone the team process together. There were also several team days where they did personality analyses. It revealed ‘who am I, and who am I in a group?’ I think they have already made a great step forward. It’s up to the new coach to build on that.”
