Shirin van Anrooij ahead of her debut Giro Donne
The 21-year-old isn't letting the pressure get to her 😎
Hello lovely subscribers! ✨
On Thursday I spoke to Lidl-Trek’s Shirin van Anrooij ahead of her debut Giro Donne. At just 21-years-old, Shirin is one of a generation of ridiculously talented young Dutch women who race across myriad disciplines. The U23 cyclocross world champion also took home the young rider’s jersey at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, won Trofeo Alfredo Binda from a solo move, and climbed her way to fourth overall at Vuelta a Burgos earlier this year.
A consummate all-rounder, the course for this year’s Giro should suit a rider like Van Anrooij but, as she told me, she doesn’t feel any pressure, nor are her team heaping any onto her. She also talked about the stressful run-in to the race thanks to lack of information, which stages she has her eye on, and what the rest of her season might look like including a possible run at the inaugural women’s Tour de l’Avenir.
Enjoy! x
Women’s Cycling Weekly: How are you feeling ahead of the race?
Shirin van Anrooij: I'm excited for it. It's going to be my first Giro so I don't really know what to expect. But I'm just really looking forward to it. I think we have a really strong team here and different opportunities. And I think it will just depend a bit on how everyone's feeling and how everyone's racing.
WCW: Is the GC a target for you?
SvA: Well, it's a bit more I think in a free role. So more to maybe see what I can do. But then just like no pressure. And if in the end maybe I don't feel as good as I'm expecting, or if I have a shit day and losing a lot of time that’s not the end of the world. I think for me it’s just a week to really a week to just try and learn a lot.
WCW: You won the white jersey at the Tour de France Femmes last year and have had some great results this season so far including hilly races like Vuelta a Burgos. Do you feel pressure going into the Giro?