<p>-
- Dutch cyclist Ellen van Dijk says she will retire at the end of the season</p>
<p>July 30, 2025 at 5:14 AM</p>
<p>FILE - Netherlands' Ellen Van Dijk competes during the women's individual time trial event, at the European Road Cycling Championships in Hasselt, Belgium, on Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Havana, File) ()</p>
<p>PARIS (AP) — Multiple world champion Ellen van Dijk will retire from cycling at the end of the season, saying an increasing worry about dangerous crashes influenced her decision.</p>
<p>The 38-year-old from the Netherlands has won 70 races in all categories during a stellar career. This includes three individual and three team world time trial titles, one world title in the scratch discipline, five European titles and a solo win over 139 kilometers (86 miles) in the Tour of Flanders.</p>
<p>"I'm going to retire as a professional cyclist at the end of the season after 20 years. It's been a big part of my life, a superlong career that I feel very thankful for," the Lidl-Trek rider said in comments from her team. "In the last two years I had a lot of nasty crashes and this for sure makes me more scared on the bike in the peloton, and it makes me lose the real love of the road racing."</p>
<p>With 41 victories in races against the clock, Van Dijk is among the greats in time trials. She is also the former women's world record holder for the hour, riding a fraction over 49 kilometres (about 30 miles) in 2022 — a record since beaten.</p>
<p>Van Dijk thanked Lidl-Trek for their commitment to women's cycling.</p>
<p>"It means a lot to me what this team did for women's cycling," she said. "Trek always believed in women's cycling and invested a lot in it and has played a big role in making women's cycling what it is today."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>AP sports: https://ift.tt/n1GNAwr>
<a href="https://ift.tt/ePYIVSD" class="dirlink-1">Original Article on Source</a>
Source: "AOL AOL Sports"
Source: AsherMag
Full Article on Source: Astro Blog
#LALifestyle #USCelebrities