Ellen van Dijk announces pregnancy, return to cycling in 2024 with eyes on the Paris Olympics

Trek - Segafredo and Ellen van Dijk have announced the Dutch rider is pregnant and is taking a break from cycling in 2023. The Dutch rider is the reigning time-trial World Champion but will be taking a pause from cycling as she focuses on an equally important side of her life.

"Together with the Team, and the unwavering support of Benjamin (her partner, ed.), I have achieved my biggest goals over the past two years. When discussions around an extension of my contract began last year, we spoke about my seemingly conflicting ambitions: I want to win a medal at the Olympics in 2024, but I would also like to start a family," van Dijk said in a press release. "Straight away, the Team was open to both scenarios and that was incredibly heart-warming."

As the team sees Lizzie Deignan return to racing after giving birth to her child, Trek sees van Dijk take on a different challenge. At 36 years of age van Dijk has had one of her best seasons to date last year, and has continued a long and successful career in women's cycling that very few can match. Having achieved many of her goals, she moves on to start a family before returning to racing in 2024 with eyes on an Olympic medal at the Paris Olympic Games.

“To have the full support from Trek is something special and they really are the game changers in women’s cycling," the Dutch rider admits. "Having the option to get pregnant during your career should be a human right, but it wasn’t in our sport. However, thanks to Trek, other teams followed the example of supporting pregnancy and that eventually led to it also becoming a UCI rule.”