Trek-Segafredo Women
July 25, 2019
Ellen
van
Dijk
Ellen van Dijk is renowned for her time trial ability, and over her career has become one the world’s best in the race against the clock. Ellen has five World Championship titles to her name: the scratch race (2008), three team time trial titles (2012, 2013, 2016), and has won the coveted rainbow jersey in the time trial at the 2013 World Championships. Ellen excels in tough one-day races and non-mountainous stage races. Her list of successes is impressive: Tour of Flanders (2014), overall victories at the Tour of Qatar (2011), Boels Ladies Tour (2013), and three times at the Healthy Aging Tour (2013, 2016, 2017). At age 32, Ellen is not showing any signs of slowing down. She ended the 2018 season with a bronze medal in the World Championships individual time trial but was unable to compete in 2019 after she fractured her arm and pelvis in a severe crash a few weeks ahead of the Yorkshire Worlds.
Questions /
Answers
What’s the best advice you were ever given? Who gave it?
Listen more to your feelings, less to the numbers on your power meter. Many people have told me this, but Merijn Zeeman was the first one I listened to when he said it.
Tell us about your greatest cycling achievement.
World Championships Time Trial win in 2013. My goal was to be a world champion once. The whole year I was the best time trialist, but I was extremely nervous before the biggest race of the year. I couldn't sleep the night before, I had breathing problems, and maybe it wasn't even my best time trial of the year. But I managed to be the best that day. At the finish line, I fell in the arms of my family. It was really special.
If you could borrow one cycling aptitude from any of your Trek-Segafredo teammates what would it be and from whom?
Ryan Mullen's watts. I would win every TT.
What is your favorite Bontrager or Trek equipment?
My new custom made Bontrager saddle. And the Speed Concept.
