Anna Van Der Breggen had been absent from the Giro for 4 years, she had retired as a winner and now she's back with the desire to fully experience one of her favorite races. Right in pink at Cormons, she had spoken about her retirement without leaving any room for doubt, a precise, calculated decision, but then something changed. The Dutch athlete returned, setting the cycling world and all her fans ablaze, with no specific goal, just the desire to enjoy the beauty of cycling, but now that we're at the Giro, the question automatically arises: is there a possibility of seeing her in pink?

The Dutchwoman loves the Giro and our country, she fell in love instantly when, still in the Junior category, she came to race some races in Italy and it is precisely in the Peninsula that she achieved her most important victories. 4 Giros d'Italia and the world title won in Imola, just to mention a few, right where this year's pink race will end, so why not try? "I am excited to return to the Giro, I have many beautiful memories here and I hope to win a stage. For the general classification, I don't have great objectives, I'll try to see how I'm doing day by day, and if my legs are turning well, I'll certainly give it some thought. There are many unknowns, I worked hard first on the Tour roads where we did a reconnaissance and then we were in Livigno for 3 weeks, I just returned two days before the Giro's start, we'll see how the adaptation goes. I really like the course, especially the two final stages which are very tough, and I would really like to win in Imola. I have a special connection with that place, right there I won my second world title and it would be nice to rewrite history, but it will be very difficult," Anna explains without ever committing herself. No proclamations, no "I'm coming and I want to take it all", but simply the desire to test herself and see where she can go.

This is a new Anna, a former cannibal who has reached a different dimension in which to experience cycling. Her season's goal was to win a race, she has already succeeded at the Vuelta, but above all to feel good in the group, to find herself again. "In these first months of racing, I have literally rediscovered my love for cycling and I think it's beautiful. I no longer race with the pressure of having to prove something, now I just race. I'm discovering a new way of experiencing cycling and I'm finding aspects that I previously undervalued. I had to get results at all costs, I had to win otherwise I wasn't satisfied, but actually that's not all that matters. When I retired, everything seemed wonderful, then little by little I realized I had lost the most beautiful part of this sport, I had never experienced it because I was always too busy achieving results. Now I'm serene, I've already done well in the past, I've already won, I no longer need to prove anything, I can simply live this fantastic opportunity by just being myself. The Giro is special, returning like this, with this mentality, is truly a great gift." Hearing her speak is like attending a life lesson reserved for few, for her who has won everything and reached the top of world cycling, it's time to try to be more normal. It was undoubtedly a long and not easy path, she had to move to the other side, directing her athletes from a team car, or as she says "living the good life drinking wine and coffee", to understand that it was too soon to put an end to everything.

Cycling has always welcomed her, up and down the team car, Anna found her girls ready to support her. Sd Worx is the strongest team at the start, both as a compact formation and with its individual talents, the seasonal goal is to win the tour with Lotte Kopecky, but in the meantime, a pink jersey might also arrive. "Relearning how to stay in the group was extremely difficult, some dynamics have changed, but above all there were things that were previously automatic that I was no longer able to do, fortunately after a couple of races everything became simple. The biggest change is certainly the group's level which has risen and it has become fundamental to have the right position, up to four years ago there was the possibility of climbing back even from last position, which is no longer possible now. Fortunately, I have some very good girls in my team who are helping me a lot with these things, they are incredible and we have created a really nice group. Last year when I was in the team car, I came close to winning the Giro with Lotte and now here I am ready to face it by her side and then support her at the tour. There's Lorena who is here to win at least one stage, she's incredibly strong and seeing her sprint is something else, it looks like she's taking flight. And then in the team we have Barbara and Elena, two crazy girls, being Italians they are very attached to the Giro, they're giving us lots of advice and it's evident how connected they are to this race, their attachment is spurring us on."

Meanwhile, Anna nearly made the podium in the opening time trial, in Bergamo she was 20" behind Marlen Reusser, 8" from her teammate Kopecky and 4" from Longo, but the Giro has just begun and there's a lot to pedal. Today there will be the first mountain finish, Aprica, Valtellina and if the premises are those we saw at the Vuelta, it's better to prepare the popcorn because Queen Anna might take center stage at any moment.