"I was able to say goodbye to active cycling in a very nice way" - Chantal van den Broek–Blaak expects her second child
Cycling
Former world champion Chantal van den Broek–Blaak wanted to give it her best in 2025 - her last season in the professional peloton, but now she has even more exciting plans. The 35-year-old Dutch champion learned that she had been blessed and is awaiting her second child. Thus there's no more motivation to compete on road anymore, the SD Worx - Protime rider announces.
After the birth of her daughter Noa in May 2023, Van den Broek–Blaak returned to the highest level last year. "That was not an easy year," she reflects. "Especially mentally, I had to get used to the role of motherhood in combination with top-level sport. I rode good races, but the stability was lacking. Of course, winning the Dutch title was a nice highlight, which indicated that I could still compete for prizes at the highest level."
She looked ahead to the 2025 season, which would be her farewell year, with ambition. "I am now 35 years old and wanted to shine for another year. At the training camp in December, I already had good values during the tests. I finally had the same feeling on the bike as before my pregnancy and wanted to show the red-white-blue. At the beginning of January, we found out that I was pregnant again. At first, it felt strange, but I soon realized how lucky I am to have gotten pregnant again so easily."
"This is what life is really about. The farewell year is not coming now. With the 2024 season, in which I once again became Dutch road champion, I was finally able to say goodbye to active cycling in a very nice way."
Team manager Erwin Janssen of Team SD Worx – Protime is especially happy for Chantal van den Broek-Blaak: "We are very happy for Chantal that she is expecting her second child. We were looking forward to a nice final year of her on the bike, but the happiness of the pregnancy is the most beautiful thing for her."
"We look back with pride on what we have achieved with Chantal in those ten years with the team. She has been one of the best cyclists in the world for many years, with the world title of 2017 as the absolute highlight. She also grew into one of the cultural bearers within our team. The fact that she managed to win the red-white-blue again last year after her first pregnancy shows what a special cyclist she has been."
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
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