Tim Wellens facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Tim Wellens

Wellens at the 2023 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
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 Tour de France 1 individual stage (2025) 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 Road Race Championships (2025) National Time Trial Championships (2024) GP de Montréal (2015) Brabantse Pijl (2018)

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

Tim became a professional cyclist in 2012. He comes from a family of cyclists. He has won nearly 40 professional races. This includes a record four overall wins in the Benelux Tour. He also won four stages in that race.

He has won big races like the 2015 Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, the 2016 Tour de Pologne, and the 2017 Tour of Guangxi. Tim has also won five stages in the biggest cycling races, called Grand Tours. These include stages in the 2016 Giro d'Italia, 2018 Giro d'Italia, 2020 Vuelta a España, and the 2025 Tour de France. In 2024, he won the Belgian National Time Trial Championships.

Tim Wellens' Cycling Journey

Tim Wellens was born in Sint-Truiden, Belgium. As a young rider, he was part of the Avia Cycling Team. He then spent two and a half seasons with the Davo–Lotto development team. He won the best young rider award at the 2012 Circuit des Ardennes. He became a professional cyclist in the middle of 2012. He joined the Lotto–Belisol team.

Early Professional Years (2012–2014)

Tim started his professional career with the Lotto–Belisol team in 2012. He finished eighth in his first race, the GP José Dubois. He also raced in the UCI World Tour events in Canada. He finished tenth overall in the Tour of Beijing. He was also second in the young rider category.

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

Wellens at the 2014 Giro d'Italia

In May 2014, Tim raced in his first Grand Tour, the Giro d'Italia. He finished second in two stages during this race. Later, he won his first professional races at the Eneco Tour. He attacked with about 10 kilometers left in stage six and won by almost a minute. He kept his lead to win the whole race. He also had good results in other races that year.

Winning Big Races (2015–2016)

Tim started 2015 with strong finishes in Spain. He also finished tenth overall at Paris–Nice. He raced in the Tour de France for the first time. In August, he won his second Eneco Tour in a row. He attacked and won stage six, taking the overall lead. He held onto his lead to win the race. The next month, he won his first one-day race, the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal. He won in a sprint against another rider.

Wellens at the 2016 Tour de Suisse

In 2016, Tim won the final stage of Paris–Nice. He was part of a breakaway and won the sprint at the end. He then won stage six of the Giro d'Italia. This was his first ever Grand Tour stage win.

He finished second in the Belgian National Road Race Championships. Then, he won stage five of the 2016 Tour de Pologne. He rode alone for 35 kilometers in heavy rain. He won the stage by almost 4 minutes. He also won the overall race by more than four minutes. He was chosen to race for Belgium in the Rio Olympics.

More Victories (2017–2019)

In 2017, Tim won three races early in the season in Spain. He won two one-day races and a stage in the Vuelta a Andalucía. He finished second overall at the BinckBank Tour. He won a stage in that race. He also won the Grand Prix de Wallonie. He finished the season with seven wins. He also won a stage and the overall title at the first ever Tour of Guangxi.

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

In 2018, Tim won the Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana again. He also won stage four and the overall title at the Vuelta a Andalucía. He then won the Brabantse Pijl by riding alone to the finish. He also had top-ten finishes in other classic races.

Tim won stage four of the Giro d'Italia. This was his second stage win in that race. He later had to leave the race because he was sick. Later in the season, he won stage two and the overall title at the Tour de Wallonie. He finished the season with seven wins.

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

Wellens at the 2019 Tour de France, where he held the mountains classification lead for 15 stages

At the Tour de France, Tim led the mountains classification for 15 stages. He was often in breakaways. After the Tour de France, he finished third overall at the BinckBank Tour.

Recent Years (2020–Present)

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 classification.

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

Wellens at the 2022 Tour de France

In January 2022, Tim won his fourth Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana. He also finished second in the Clásica Jaén Paraíso Interior. He won stage two of the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes et du Var. He finished second overall in that race. He also had top-ten finishes in other spring races. He finished second overall at the Tour of Belgium.

After many years with the Lotto–Soudal team, Tim joined UAE Team Emirates in 2023. He started the season with a third-place finish at the Clásica Jaén Paraíso Interior. The next week, he won stage three of the Vuelta a Andalucía. He finished fifth at Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne. Later, he broke his collarbone in a crash at the Tour of Flanders. He missed the Tour de France because of this injury. He then won the overall title at the Renewi Tour for a record third time.

In 2024, Tim had six top-five finishes. He was second at Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne. In April, he signed a new contract with UAE Team Emirates. In June, he won his first national title. He won the Belgian National Time Trial Championships in Binche. He helped his teammate Tadej Pogačar at the Tour de France. He also won stage two of the Tour de Pologne. He then won the Renewi Tour for the fourth time.

Tim Wellens' Family Life

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

Major Race Results

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 Race Results Timeline

See also

In Spanish: Tim Wellens para niños