World Champion Annemiek van Fluten (Mitchelton Scott) is finally settling into her new rainbow jersey, but she is already working on a successful 2020 race campaign targeting the Spring Classics, Olympics, and World Championships. Plans are in the works.

Van Vleuten's preparations for the upcoming season will begin with a training camp in Colombia in November after a well-deserved break.

"Colombia is high altitude, but I don't want to train in November in the Netherlands because of the weather," Van Vleuten told Cycling News in a phone interview on his way to compete in the Kiremko Nacht van Woerden cyclo-cross race.

"I'm an adventurous rider, I like to go places, meet new people, and see different cultures. I train to stay fit, but I also train to enjoy Colombia and get to know new people."

"I am a very active rider.

While in Colombia, Van Vleuten will participate in a newly established event called the Car Bike Classic. The event will run for three days, from November 29 to December 1, and will be organized by professional cyclist Diana Penuela (Ale Cipollini).

"It's very exciting," Van Vleuten said of her trip to Colombia. 'Diana Peñuela is from Colombia and I'm in contact with her, I know her because we exchanged (national team) jerseys at the 2017 World Championships. I really wanted the Colombian jersey. She invited me to Colombia and has taken care of all the details, like where we run and where we stay."

Van Vleuten trains at altitude during the season in the Italian Dolomites and Tenerife, Spain. She had planned to do a high-altitude training camp in Colombia last year to try something new. However, she had to cancel that plan after suffering a serious knee injury at the World Championships in Innsbruck. She was invited by Mitchelton Scott's teammate Esteban Chavez, who suggested some of the best places to train.

"I've interacted with Esteban a little bit, so I might end up going to a place he suggested last year where a lot of professionals stay. I saw a TV show last year in Colombia and it looked like a great country."

"You can always go to Calpe, but a lot of cyclists like to go to the same place, the same hotel. But a lot of cyclists want to go to the same place and the same hotel.

The trip to Colombia is not the only change Juan Bruten has made to her "off-season" program to keep her professional cycling career fresh. She is also competing in cyclocross this fall, starting with the Superprestige in Zieten.

"I was invited to do cyclocross and I like it. But it's not my goal, and I laughed when they said I was one of the favorites to win before Gieten."

"Before we started, I put everyone in the field first," Van Vleuten laughed.

"My ambition for cyclocross is nothing more than a technical challenge and to get better technically with each lap. I don't train. I just have a bit of fun. I only do three races and they are all technical courses and require a lot of walking and getting off the bike. ......

Van Vleuten's efforts to add rest to his off-season program along with new challenges and experiences will be important in maintaining focus and motivation during the long 2020 campaign.

Van Vleuten said that his 2020 road racing schedule, including his participation in the Giro Rosa, is still being finalized: the Tour of Flanders and Ardennes Classics in April, the Olympics in July, and the World Championships on the Swiss mountain routes in September The first two are in September.

Van Vleuten's full race schedule will be determined for next season.

"We'll start with the first block: Strade Bianche, Tour of Flanders, and then the Ardennes. After Liège-Bastogne-Liège, we'll regroup with the teams and coaches and prepare the road to the Olympics. Next year's World Championships will be very interesting, and I was really happy when the UCI announced the venues and courses."

Van Vleuten won the Strade Bianche and Liège-Bastogne-Liège and finished second in the Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallonne, and Tour de Flanders.

He won the Giro Rosa for the second year in a row and won the road race at the UCI Road World Championships in Yorkshire in September.

"It's special," Van Vleuten said of the daring 104-km solo attack that led to victory in the Yorkshire road race. Sometimes I go back and watch the video of the race to see how I did it. It's very special."

Van Vleuten was leading the Women's World Tour heading into Tuesday's final round of the Tour of Guangxi, but did not compete in the one-day race. She was five points ahead of Marianne Vos (CCC-Liv) in series points. Vos finished third in the race to take the series title, while van Breuten dropped to second and Lorena Wiebes (Parkhotel Valkenburg) finished third overall.

"Marianne proved that she is back to a great level and won a lot of races. She has to win a lot of races to finally go for the series title. Congratulations to Marianne on a great season."

"I am very proud of Marianne.

Winning the elite women's road race world title is one of the biggest accomplishments of Van Vleuten's career, and she said she is looking forward to wearing the rainbow jersey throughout the 2020 season.

While next year's Olympics will be an important event, Van Vleuten stressed that it is not the only defining moment in a cyclist's career.

"I think it's a beautiful goal," he said. But sometimes people need a little wake-up call." There is more to life, especially cycling, than just the Olympics.

"Winning the World Championships and wearing the rainbow jersey for a year is very special for me.

"There are so many great races during the year, so focusing only on the Olympics is not the best approach for me.