Time trial specialist calls it quits: Ellen van Dijk announces the end of her career
TOUR
· 30.07.2025
Ellen van Dijk, one of the most successful time trialists in cycling, has announced that she will end her career after the 2025 season. The 38-year-old Dutchwoman, who currently rides for Lidl - Trek, announced this decision during a guest appearance on the Dutch sports programme De Avondetappe. After two decades in professional cycling, the three-time world champion in the individual time trial wants to end her career at her own request, while still being able to compete at the highest level. "I still really enjoy it. And I think that time trialling is the most beautiful thing there is, but cycling is not just about time trialling," explained van Dijk. "I just don't enjoy riding in the peloton anymore. I feel it's no longer my place. I have team-mates who are literally half my age. There's a new generation of female riders now."
Injuries and recovery time as factors
As he gets older, the recovery time from injuries also gets longer, and van Dijk has had many injuries in recent years, including a broken shoulder, a concussion and ankle fractures in the last calendar year alone. "I've had a couple of really bad falls now and I don't want that anymore. I've had enough of it," she said. "When I look at the big picture, I think my time has come. I want to stop at a moment when I still feel like I can really compete. Not at a moment when I think I no longer belong." Despite these challenges, van Dijk is still a serious competitor. Just this month, she finished second in the overall standings of the Baloise Ladies Tour. Earlier in the year, she won the overall classification of the Vuelta Extremadura Féminas, came second in the Amstel Gold Race and finished eighth in the Tour of Flanders, a race she won in 2014.
Impressive career with numerous titles
Over the course of her long career, van Dijk has developed into a true expert in the battle against the clock and one of the most successful riders in this discipline. She is a three-time UCI world champion in the individual time trial and four-time European champion in the same discipline. She has also won a world title on the track (2008, scratch race) and a European road race title (2021). In 2022, she set a new UCI hourly world record and cemented her reputation as the fastest woman of her generation by covering 49.254 kilometres in 60 minutes. This distance was considered the world's best until Italian Vittoria Bussi broke it twice, most recently extending the record to 50.45 kilometres in May 2025. However, Van Dijk's mark remains the third-best distance ever recorded.
