Anna van der Breggen knows that if she is to celebrate her final year as a professional cyclist with a second successive Olympic title she will have to beat a team mate on Sunday.
The 31-year-old world champion, along with 2012 Olympic winner and three-time world champion Marianne Vos, Annemiek van Vleuten and Demi Vollering, will form a fearsome quartet over the hilly 136 km course.
"It's always like this whenever we are in a championship," she told Reuters on Friday. "We are riding for one country but only one rider can win and we all know this." The first task on a course that starts at Musashinonomori Park and ends after 2,692 metres of climbing, will be to grind down the opposition, she said."If Annemiek is on the attack and I feel like I can go after it, I will, but only if I don't have anyone from another team on the wheel. You must not jeopardize the victory of your country.Van Vleuten, 38, is constantly reminded of the crash that ended her hopes in Rio and could have ended her career.
"The course is not really for me, it does go uphill, long too, but there are no really steep parts," Van Vleuten said.
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