Ellen van Dijk facts for kids
Van Dijk after taking the silver medal at the 2022 European Championships
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| Personal information | |||
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| Full name | Eleonora Maria van Dijk | ||
| Nickname | The Animal | ||
| Born | 11 February 1987 Harmelen, Netherlands |
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| Height | 182 cm | ||
| Team information | |||
| Current team | Lidl–Trek | ||
| Role | Rider | ||
| Rider type | Time trial specialist | ||
| Major wins | |||
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Ellen van Dijk (born 11 February 1987) is a professional road cyclist from the Netherlands. She is known as a time trial specialist. This means she is very good at racing against the clock alone. Ellen has won five world titles in cycling!
She won her first world title in track cycling in 2008. Later, she became a Road World Champion in team time trials in 2012, 2013, and 2016. She also won an individual time trial world title in 2013. In 2015, she won a gold medal at the first European Games in the time trial.
Ellen started her sports journey as a speed skater. Cycling was part of her summer training. She was so good at both sports that she competed nationally. In 2007, after winning her fifth national cycling championship, she decided to focus only on cycling. She has also won many European titles and World Cup races. At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, she helped her teammate Marianne Vos win a gold medal.
Ellen's Life
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Ellen van Dijk grew up in Harmelen, a town in the Utrecht province of the Netherlands. She has two older brothers, and she lived with her parents. When she was a child, besides speed skating and cycling, she also played volleyball and did gymnastics.
In 2006, Ellen moved to Amsterdam for her studies. She still lives there today. She earned a degree in Human Movement Sciences in 2011. This is a field that studies how the human body moves.
Ellen's Sports Journey
Starting with Speed Skating
Ellen began her sports career as a speed skater. When she was very young, she skated on natural ice. At eight years old, she joined a local speed skating club. During winter, she trained almost every day at the rink in Utrecht. She did this from age twelve until she was twenty. She competed in junior national championships and even set a track record in the 5000 meters.
Early Days in Cycling
When Ellen was ten, she started cycling in the summer for training. She rode with her brothers and a friend. She did so well that she began competing in national races at age 15. In 2003, she won her first national road cycling championship. In 2004, she won two more national titles as a junior. She even beat Marianne Vos in a time trial that year. In 2007, Ellen had to choose between speed skating and cycling. She chose cycling because she was winning so many races.
Becoming a Professional Cyclist
2006-2011: First Professional Years
Ellen started her professional cycling career in 2006. She won two stages in the Tour Féminin en Limousin. She also won a time trial at the World University Cycling Championship. In 2007, she became the Dutch national time trial champion for the first time. She also joined the Dutch national track cycling team.
In 2008, Ellen won her first major senior title: the scratch race at the Track Cycling World Championships. She attacked the other riders and rode alone to the finish line. She also won two European track championships that year. In 2009, she joined a professional road cycling team. She won her second European time trial title. In 2010, she won the Sparkassen Giro race. In 2011, she won the Ladies Tour of Qatar, dedicating her win to a teammate who had passed away. She also won a team time trial World Cup race.
2012: Olympic Games and World Champion
In 2012, Ellen had a busy year. She won a stage in the Energiewacht Tour and became the Dutch time trial champion again. She competed in the London Olympic Games. In the road race, she helped her teammate Marianne Vos win the gold medal. Ellen also finished eighth in the individual time trial.
Later that year, Ellen became a world champion in the team time trial with her team. Three days later, she finished fifth in the individual time trial at the World Championships. After this, she decided to focus only on road cycling.
2013: Double World Champion
The year 2013 was amazing for Ellen. She won the Le Samyn des Dames race. She also won the overall titles in the Energiewacht Tour, Belgium Tour, and Holland Ladies Tour. She won many time trials that year.
At the World Championships in Italy, Ellen won two world titles! First, her team won the team time trial for the second year in a row. Then, Ellen won the individual time trial, becoming a world champion on her own. She was the second Dutch woman to win this title.
2014-2016: More Victories
In 2014, Ellen joined a new team. She won the Tour of Flanders, a very important race, after riding alone for 25 kilometers. She also won the time trial at the Omloop van Borsele for the third time. In 2015, she won a gold medal in the time trial at the European Games in Azerbaijan. She also won a silver medal with her team at the World Championships.
In 2016, Ellen won the Energiewacht Tour again. She also won the European time trial championship. At the World Championships, her team won the team time trial world title. Ellen also won a silver medal in the individual time trial.
2017-2022: Continuing Success
Ellen continued to win in the following years. In 2017, her team won the team time trial world title for the third time. She also won the European time trial championship again. In 2018, she won the European time trial championship for the third time in a row. She also became the Dutch national time trial champion.
In 2019, Ellen won her fourth European time trial championship. In 2021, she won the individual time trial world title for the second time. She also won the European road race championship. In 2022, Ellen set a new hour record in cycling, riding 49.254 kilometers in one hour! She also won her third individual time trial world title and became the Dutch national time trial champion again.
Images for kids
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Ellen van Dijk in 2011, riding for HTC-High Road.
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Ellen van Dijk supported by Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and his family at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
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Ellen van Dijk won the women's time trial at the World Championships.
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Van Dijk on the podium after winning the Tour of Flanders.
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Van Dijk winning the time trial of the Boels Rental Ladies Tour.
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Van Dijk winning stage 2 of the Ladies Tour of Qatar.
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Van Dijk won with Boels–Dolmans the silver medal in the team time trial at the world championships.
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Van Dijk at the time trial world championships.
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Van Dijk at the Olympic road race.
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See also
In Spanish: Ellen van Dijk para niños
