She has won cycling monuments including Liège–Bastogne–Liège Femmes, Strade Bianche Donne and Tour of Flanders for Women on multiple occasions.

[6] As a child, van Vleuten played football, gymnastics and horse riding, and rode her bike to school.

[9] Quitting her office job in 2010 to become a full time professional cyclist, her first major win was at the 2010 Novilon Eurocup Ronde van Drenthe.

[16] She took part in the 2015 European Games for the Netherlands, in cycling; van Vleuten won a bronze medal in the time trial, and finished seventh in the road race.

On 7 August 2016, while leading the road race at the Olympic Games, van Vleuten crashed head first on the steep descent from Vista Chinesa after missing her braking point before a sharp bend, 12 kilometres (7.5 miles) before the finish.

[9] In 2019, van Vleuten defended her Giro Rosa title, winning by over 3 minutes and taking all the major classifications (general, points and mountain).

[27] Despite winning the Giro Rosa and major races such as Liège–Bastogne–Liège and Strade Bianche, van Vleuten finished second in the UCI Women's World Tour standings behind fellow Dutch rider Marianne Vos.

[31] When van Vleuten finished the race, she celebrated thinking she had won, as she was unaware of Kiesenhofer being in front of her.

[36][37] In 2022, van Vleuten started her season by winning two classics – Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, and the Liège–Bastogne–Liège Femmes for the second time.

[38] In June, van Vleuten signed a one-year contract extension with the Movistar Team, with the intention to retire from cycling at the end of the 2023 season.

Before the top of the next climb, the Col du Platzerwasel, van Vleuten was on her own, having accelerated clear of Vollering.

[49] Van Vleuten ultimately took the start of the race, initially riding as a domestique for Marianne Vos.

[50] By the end, van Vleuten capitalised on a late-race stalling of pace, attacking with around 700 metres (2,300 feet) remaining, holding off around a dozen riders by a second to take the rainbow jersey.

[53] The second edition of Tour de France Femmes was won by Vollering, with van Vleuten finishing 4th overall.

[6] Outside of cycling, van Vleuten lives a low-key life, enjoying scuba diving, watching football, and playing the Settlers of Catan board game with friends.