“I’m really happy to win this race but I’m really focusing on the process” - Ellen van Dijk on her victory in her first race back after pregnancy
Cycling
Five months after giving birth to her son, Ellen van Dijk has returned to competition in flying form, as she took the victory in the time trial on stage 3 of the Vuelta Extremadura Féminas.
The three-day Spanish stage race was the Dutch rider’s first race back after her pregnancy and it was like she had never been away, as she finished sixth overall in the general classification despite the fact that she was working for her teammates Brodie Chapman and Gaia Realini.
In her post-race interview with her team, the Lidl-Trek rider said “I’m really happy to win this race but I’m really focusing on the process that I’m in right now. I reached the goal that I wanted right now, and that’s not specifically about winning a race but more about power output, my approach to the race and how I execute the plan, and this all went well”.
Van Dijk is now set to head to the Classics, as she is scheduled to be riding at Gent-Wevelgem and Dwars door Vlaanderen at the end of March ahead of the Ronde van Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubaix Femmes.
Looking ahead to those races, the former Ronde van Vlaanderen winner said “I’m really looking forward to the Classics, it was super nice to be back with the Team, to have the whole race feeling again and it was also super cool to race with all the young riders here”.
Read also
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Are you MrMauMau 2.0? Nothing you are saying is really relevant. Vaguely connected, but irrelevant. The conversation is whether Schreiber impeded Brand or not.
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- What a race! I didn't expect Vanthourenhout to collapse like that, and Wyseure did take the fight to Nys, but there was no doubt at the end. I also wonder what Aubin Sparfel would be capable of were he to race in the elites now. In the U23 ranks he is making good work of Giel Lejeune, who himself is among the better riders in the elites, and a top 10 contender in the big races (3rd at Kleebergcross, 8th at Berencross and 5th at Heerderstrand). In the French Cup, Sparfel is significantly better than Romain Debord (8th at Koppenbergcross and 10th at the Euros) and Rémi Lelandais (12th at Koppenbergcross and 19th at the Euros).Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
- There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
Loading
We missed seeing this photo... At #VueltaExtremadura, @ellenvdijk sets a powerful example by winning five months after giving birth to her son 👏 and @GaiaRealini manages to jump on the podium in GC 🥈 📰 Our story and their reactions 👇 racing.trekbikes.com/stories/lidl-t…
Write a comment