Annemieke van Fruten, who is set to retire at the end of the season, has begun her farewell tour.

The last spring classic campaign of his 16-year career will start in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and resume with the Strade Bianche, Tour de Flanders, and Ardennes Classics.

For a professional athlete with a career as long as van Breuten's, it is natural to feel nostalgic in her final season. Not that she's getting worked up or busy thinking about retirement, but she finds little moments here and there, especially at her favorite races, to reflect on fond memories.

One such race was Strade Bianche.

"I don't feel much different," Van Vleuten told Cycling News when asked about his last Strade Bianche appearance on Saturday.

"I'm still focused. I want to be in the best shape possible and give it my all. I'm aiming for the highest level possible.

"But yes. After I finish at the Piazza del Campo tomorrow, I'll probably think, 'I won't be here next year,' and I'll probably look around a little bit to enjoy the moment." Also, my boyfriend will be at the finish line, which is nice. After I finish, I might look around a little bit and think, 'That was the last one.'"

Van Vleuten has expressed her delight in racing in Italy many times in her career, and Strade Bianche is a race she focuses on every year. She has won this race twice in 2019 and 2020 and hopes to add a third title to her long list of accomplishments this weekend.

"I think the finish in Piazza del Campo in the center of Siena is the most beautiful finish of our entire calendar. I really like racing in Italy. I like the people and the fans and the culture here, and that's part of the charm. And it's a beautiful race, and it's a hard race.

The Strade Bianche is a relatively young race, held for the first time in 2015, but has gained popularity due to the scenic white gravel roads of Tuscany. The women's 136 km includes a total of 31.4 km of gravel roads over eight or nine sections. In addition, the uphills make the race particularly challenging, with a steep 16% gradient and finishes at the Via Santa Caterina and Piazza del Campo.

"The post-finish photos on the gravel sections are always beautiful. In a race, you can be unlucky, and that's what gravel is all about.

"I think the race is spectacular. The weather tomorrow won't be quite as spectacular, but it will still be very challenging." [It's a little different from other races. It's a race that doesn't really suit me. So it's a big challenge for me, and maybe that's why I like it," she admitted.

"Because the climbs are short, for example, in the final it only takes a minute or two. Short climbs are not my favorite, and it's not where I make a difference in the race, but when the race gets really hard, it gets hard."

Over the years, Strade Bianche has been one of the most diverse in the peloton, including van Breuten, Lotte Kopecky, Chantal van de Broek-Blaak, Ashley Moolman-Pasio, Mavi Garcia, Marianne Foss, and Marta Bastianelli. have attracted players.

Similarly, on the men's side, Tadei Pogachar, Mathieu van der Pol, Egan Bernal, Alejandro Valverde, Caspar Asgreen, and Julian Alaphilippe have all made the podium.

"Another reason I love Strade Bianche is that the classics come here with the climbers. Sometimes I see podiums like the men. I remember Egan Bernal sharing the podium with the Classic athletes. So I think that's another cool thing about this race," Van Vleuten said.

After years of mountain bike stage racing and cyclocross, off-road riding has a certain appeal for Van Vleuten. He is critical of the gravel sectors of stage races, but likes the gravel of one-day races like Strade Bianche.

When asked if he might transfer his success on the road to gravel racing after retirement, van Breuten said "no," adding that he has no intention of competing in gravel events such as the UCI series or gravel world championships.

However, she does have plans to compete in gravel events in Colombia in the future.

"I am not a competitive animal. So I don't think I need to compete to be happy. I don't think I will continue to race. I will certainly continue riding, but I won't be racing," he said of his riding prospects after his career as a professional racer.

"I signed up for the Crocodile Trophy in November with my boyfriend, which is a mountain bike stage race I already did in 2016. He also invited me to a gravel race in Colombia next year.

"He will be more competitive than me. I just run. I don't want to race. But yes, there might be some fun events, but I don't want to work next year to prepare for training sessions and training schedules and all that stuff. No, I'm just going to have fun."