Annemiek van Vleuten‘s yearly attic clear out public sale, the place she sells biking gadgets and memorabilia to boost cash for charity, has clearly turn out to be a fixture for the retiring skilled bicycle owner. A lot in order that even when she crossed the road on the Tour of Flanders, bloodied after crashing simply earlier than the Koppenberg and dropping her last likelihood to take a file third victory, she nonetheless had the presence of thoughts to salvage some good from a nasty day on the bike.

“Usually I might have thrown that swimsuit away, however now I assumed; ‘save instantly for the public sale’,” mentioned Van Vleuten in a put up on her web site. “It’s unwashed, the blood remains to be on it and the numbers too.”

“I additionally saved the chief’s shirt from the final race I gained, the Tour of Scandinavia, with the numbers nonetheless on it,” mentioned Van Vleuten. “The swimsuit I rode in on the final World Cup in Glasgow, additionally comes with (washed) jersey numbers.”