Annika Langvad anuncia su retirada como ciclista profesional

Annika Langvad, corredora de Specialized, anuncia a través de las redes sociales su retirada como ciclista profesional. La danesa fue campeona del mundo de XCO en 2016 y cuenta en su palmarés con innumerables victorias en pruebas destacadas de XCO y XCM, aunque ya hace un par de años que su rendimiento no alcanza el 100%.

Con 36 años cumplidos y camino de los 37, Langvad ha decidido retirarse del mundo de la competición profesional para centrarse en otras cosas. Según explica ella misma, no es una decisión tomada de la noche a la mañana, ya que ha estado rondando en su mente desde hace mucho tiempo, concretamente desde que en 2016 terminará sus estudios de odontología después de la temporada de carreras. Annika tenía previsto participar en Leogang para disfrutar de su último Mundial como profesional, pero un problema estomacal la dejó fuera de juego.

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So, here’s a big announcement: I’m retiring from professional racing. Now is the time. These 10 years of racing will probably be some of the most intense time of my entire life and now I’m ready to devote myself to other things in life. I’ve been thinking a lot about what reflections to share with you, since it’s been quite a rollercoaster of emotions leading up to this point. This is not a decision made overnight, it has been at the back of my mind for a long time - first time was in 2016, where I went to finish dentistry school after the season. But when you are on a high and you are wearing the rainbow jersey it’s just so easy to continue one more year. And thanks to @iamspecialized there were always new adventures that made every next season too tempting to resist. The support and opportunities from @iamspecialized is and always will be the absolute center of my career and something I forever will be grateful for. I grabbed a lot of those opportunities and managed to turn some of them into experiences and accomplishments that I didn’t even dare dreaming of, while other opportunies made me face some of my inner deamons. Also, I will forever be grateful for having @bonnethomas by my side through it all. You are my rock and none of this would have been possible without you In the end - I wouldn’t want to be without any of those adventures at all (good or bad) or any of the special people I’ve met along the way. Not a single one. It all contributed to who and where I am today. But now it’s time. I’m feeling satisfied and content and okay with things as they are. I’ve played my role. I’m ready to move on. This weekend was supposed to be my last World Champs. Sadly, I’ve been struggling with a stomac bug since Nove Mesto, which has left me drained and not able to be on the start line. I wish my teammates and all riders a fantastic race

Una publicación compartida de Annika Langvad (@annika.langvad) el 9 Oct, 2020 a las 12:05 PDT

Me retiro de las carreras profesionales. Ahora es el momento. Estos 10 años de carreras serán probablemente los más intensos de toda mi vida y ahora estoy lista para dedicarme a otras cosas en la vida. Me siento satisfecha y contenta con las cosas tal como están. He cumplido con mi papel. Estoy lista para seguir adelante, escribe Langvad en las redes sociales.