Olympic champion Anna Kiesenhofer signs one-off deal to race Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta
Olympic champion says the deal with Soltec Team Costa Cálida is only for one race.
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One name missing last week at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift was reigning Olympic road champion Anna Kiesenhofer.
In a deal confirmed Monday, she will join Spanish team Soltec Team Costa Cálida in a one-off deal in time to race the Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta in September.
“The arrival of Anna is a before and after for Soltec Team,” said team director Nino Oliver. “We’ve worked three years to build out this project, and her arrival gives us a push to the next level. I want to thank her for the enthusiasm and confidence she has shown in our project since the first moment.”
The team confirmed her arrival Monday, and officials said she will participate the upcoming race in Spain on September 7-11.
Kiesenhofer, who stunned the best of the international peloton last summer in Tokyo, said Tuesday the deal is only temporary.
“To avoid any misunderstanding, I will be a guest rider for Soltec Team Costa Cálida for one week, but will otherwise remain with my Austrian team (Cookina Graz) for the rest of the year,” she said Tuesday.
The surprise Olympic medalist has only raced twice in 2022, finishing second in the Austrian national road race and time trial races in June, respectively. She missed each title by one second in each race.
Also read:
- Kiesenhofer: The mathematician who carved an unconventional path to Tokyo Olympic success
- Kiesenhofer promises her life won’t change with Olympic gold
- What the stars said after Olympic gold medal stunner
In 2021, Kiesenhofer stunned the biggest names in the sport when she rode into an early break in the Olympic road race, and poured everything into her pedals to win alone ahead of recently crowned Tour de France Femmes winner Annemiek van Vleuten in one of the most inspirational wins in women’s Olympic cycling history.
One year ago – still goosebumps watching the last meters… #Tokyo2020 https://t.co/l9QuKFBR4D
— Anna Kiesenhofer (@AnnaKiesenhofer) July 25, 2022