Former world time trial champion hoping move to Trek can spark improvements
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Ellen Van Dijk (Netherlands)(Image credit: Getty Images)
Ellen van Dijk with her third European champion's jersey(Image credit: Getty Images)
Van der Breggen, Van Vleuten and Van Dijk on the 2018 UCI Road World championships time trial podium(Image credit: Getty Images)
Ellen van Dijk (Sunweb)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Ellen van Dijk won by two seconds(Image credit: Getty Images)
Ellen van Dijk says that she has struggled to match the form that helped her take her time trial world title in Florence in 2013, but the 31-year-old hopes that her move to Trek-Segafredo will help her get back to her best in the discipline.
"I have a new coach here. I’m working with a coach with the team and that’s exciting and new, and hopefully I can get something more out of myself," Van Dijk told Cyclingnews.
"I haven’t been able to improve my level from 2013. To be honest, I have had problems trying to reach that level again. I hope that I can make another step this year. I was on such a high level and it’s hard to keep that and get it back again."
Van Vleuten had defended her title, while Van der Breggen was runner-up for the second year running. Van Dijk was almost a minute further back and had to settle for third. It was a frustrating end to the year, particularly as she'd had their number throughout much of the season.
A new dawn at Trek
Van Dijk will start a fresh chapter in her career in 2019 after leaving Team Sunweb for Trek-Segafredo in the off-season. Van Dijk spent just two seasons with Sunweb after moving there from Boels Dolmans in 2017. While she complimented the set-up at her former team, she was attracted to the increased freedom she believes Trek-Segafredo can give her.
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Born in Ireland to a cycling family and later moved to the Isle of Man, so there was no surprise when I got into the sport. Studied sports journalism at university before going on to do a Masters in sports broadcast. After university I spent three months interning at Eurosport, where I covered the Tour de France. In 2012 I started at Procycling Magazine, before becoming the deputy editor of Procycling Week. I then joined Cyclingnews, in December 2013.
