Tim Wellens facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Tim Wellens

Wellens at the 2014 Ronde van Limburg
Personal information
Full name	Tim Wellens
Born	(1991-05-10) 10 May 1991 (age 34) Sint-Truiden, Flanders, Belgium
Height	1.82 m (5 ft 12 in)
Weight	71 kg
Team information
Current team	UAE Team Emirates
Role	Rider
Rider type	Puncheur Classics specialist
Major wins
Grand Tours Giro d'Italia 2 individual stages (2016, 2018) Vuelta a España 2 individual stages (2020) Stage races Benelux Tour (2014, 2015, 2023, 2024) Tour de Pologne (2016) Tour of Guangxi (2017) Vuelta a Andalucía (2018) Tour de Wallonie (2018) One-day races and Classics National Time Trial Championships (2024) GP de Montréal (2015) Brabantse Pijl (2018)

Tim Wellens (born 10 May 1991) is a professional road cyclist from Belgium. He rides for the UCI WorldTeam UAE Team Emirates.

Tim comes from a family of professional cyclists. He turned professional in 2012. Since then, he has won nearly forty races. These include a record four overall wins in the Benelux Tour. He also won four stages in this race. Tim has also won big races like the 2015 Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, the 2016 Tour de Pologne, and the 2017 Tour of Guangxi. He has won four stages in Grand Tours. These include two stages in the Giro d'Italia and two in the Vuelta a España. In 2024, he became the Belgian National Time Trial Champion.

Tim Wellens' Cycling Journey

Tim Wellens was born in Sint-Truiden, Belgium. As a young rider, he rode for the Avia Cycling Team. He then joined the Davo–Lotto development team for two and a half seasons. In 2012, he won the young rider award at the Circuit des Ardennes. He became a professional cyclist later that year. He joined the Lotto–Belisol team.

Riding for Lotto–Belisol (2012–2022)

First Years (2012–2014)

Tim started his professional career in 2012. He raced in the GP José Dubois and finished eighth. He also competed in his first UCI World Tour races in Canada. He tried to join the main breakaways in these races. At the end of 2012, he finished tenth overall in the Tour of Beijing. He was also second in the young rider competition.

In 2013, Tim finished eighth overall in the Tour de Wallonie. He also came second in both the mountains and young rider categories.

Tim Wellens at the 2014 Giro d'Italia

In May 2014, Tim raced in his first Grand Tour, the Giro d'Italia. He finished second on two stages. After another second-place finish at the Ster ZLM Toer, Tim won his first professional races. This happened at the Eneco Tour in August. He attacked on stage six and won alone. He kept his lead to win the whole race. Later that year, he finished well in other big races.

Big Wins (2015)

Tim started 2015 with good results in Spain. He finished tenth overall at Paris–Nice. He also raced in his first Tour de France. He later said his performance there was "really bad."

In August, Tim won stage six of the Eneco Tour. He attacked and won by a good margin. This win put him in the overall lead. He held onto his lead to win the Eneco Tour for the second time in a row. The next month, he won his first one-day race. He won the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal in a sprint.

More Victories (2016)

Tim Wellens at the 2016 Tour de Suisse

In 2016, Tim won the final stage of Paris–Nice. He was part of the day's breakaway and won the sprint at the end. He then won stage six of the Giro d'Italia. He attacked from a breakaway and rode alone to the finish. This was his first stage win in a Grand Tour.

After finishing second in the Belgian National Road Race Championships, Tim won again. He won stage five of the 2016 Tour de Pologne. He rode alone for 35 km in heavy rain. He won the stage by almost 4 minutes. He also won the overall race by more than four minutes. He won the sprints and mountains awards too. Tim was chosen to represent Belgium at the Rio Olympics.

Strong Performances (2017)

In early 2017, Tim won three races in Spain. He won two one-day races in the Vuelta a Mallorca. He also won the final stage of the Vuelta a Andalucía. At Strade Bianche, he was in a small lead group but finished third. Tim left the Tour de France during stage 15. This was due to heat and pollen allergies. He chose not to use special medical permits for treatment.

Tim won a stage at the BinckBank Tour. He finished second overall to Tom Dumoulin. He then won the Grand Prix de Wallonie after a long solo ride. He ended the season with seven wins. He also won a stage and the overall title at the first Tour of Guangxi.

Continued Success (2018)

Tim Wellens (left) leading Julian Alaphilippe at the 2018 Liège–Bastogne–Liège

Tim's first win of 2018 was at the Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana. He won this race for the second year in a row. At the Vuelta a Andalucía, he won stage 4 and took the overall lead. He held the lead to win the race. He then finished fifth overall at Paris–Nice. He also won the points award there.

Tim won the Brabantse Pijl by attacking alone near the end. He also had top-ten finishes in other spring races. He won stage four of the Giro d'Italia. This was his second stage win in that race. He had to leave the Giro later due to illness. Tim also won a stage and the overall title at the Tour de Wallonie. He finished third in the BinckBank Tour and Bretagne Classic. He ended the season with seven wins.

Tour de France Mountains Leader (2019)

Tim started 2019 with more wins in Spain. He won the Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana for the third time in a row. He also won two stages at the Vuelta a Andalucía. He finished third in several races, including Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Brabantse Pijl. He also won a time trial stage at the Tour of Belgium.

Tim Wellens at the 2019 Tour de France, where he wore the mountains jersey for 15 stages

At the Tour de France, Tim took the lead in the mountains classification. He held this special jersey for 15 stages! He was often in the race's breakaways. After the Tour de France, Tim finished third overall at the BinckBank Tour.

Later Years with Lotto (2020–2022)

In 2020, Tim raced in the Vuelta a España for the first time. He won two stages in this race. He also finished second in the mountains competition.

In 2021, Tim won stage three and the overall title at the Étoile de Bessèges. He also had good overall finishes in other big races.

In 2022, Tim won the Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana for the fourth time. He also won a stage and finished second overall at the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes et du Var. He finished second overall at the Tour of Belgium as well.

Joining UAE Team Emirates (2023–Present)

Tim Wellens at the 2023 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

After ten years with Lotto, Tim joined UAE Team Emirates in 2023. He started his season in Spain. He finished third at the Clásica Jaén Paraíso Interior. The next week, he won stage three of the Vuelta a Andalucía. This was on a tough cobbled climb where he had won before.

Tim's season was affected by an injury at the Tour of Flanders. He broke his collarbone. Because of this, he missed the Tour de France. However, he came back strong. He won the overall title at the Renewi Tour. This was his third time winning this race, setting a new record!

In early 2024, Tim had several top-five finishes. He was second to Wout van Aert at Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne. In June, Tim won his first national title. He won the Belgian National Time Trial Championships in Binche. He rode to support Tadej Pogačar at the Tour de France. After the Tour, he won a time trial stage at the Tour de Pologne. He then won the Renewi Tour for the fourth time, taking the lead on the final day.

Tim's Family

Tim Wellens is married and has a son, who was born in 2022. Cycling runs in his family! His father, Leo Wellens, and his uncles, Paul Wellens and Johan Wellens, were all professional cyclists in the 1970s and 1980s.

Major Race Results

Source:

Grand Tour Results Timeline

Grand Tour	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
Giro d'Italia	54	—	96	—	DNF	—	—	—	—	—	—
Tour de France	—	129	—	DNF	—	94	—	—	DNF	—	80
Vuelta a España	—	—	—	—	—	—	78	—	—	—	—

Classic Races Results Timeline

See also

In Spanish: Tim Wellens para niños