Dutch Time Trial Champion Ellen van Dijk Announces 2025 Retirement Over Safety Concerns

Ellen van Dijk, one of modern cycling's most dominant time trial specialists, announced she will retire at the end of the 2025 season after a 20-year career marked by 70 professional victories, including three world time trial championships and a Tour of Flanders win. Van Dijk cited increasing dangers within the peloton and multiple crashes and injuries over the past two years as key factors in her decision, explaining that these fears diminished her love for road racing and made her feel the peloton was no longer her place. Despite still competing at a high level with recent podium finishes, including a GC win at the Vuelta Extremadura Féminas and second place at the Amstel Gold Race, she decided to retire after a serious crash at the Baloise Tour. Van Dijk expressed deep passion for time trialling but acknowledged that the evolving peloton and younger generation have shifted the landscape. Her retirement also marks a significant transition for her Lidl-Trek team, following Lizzie Deignan's recent retirement. Throughout her career, Van Dijk was celebrated not only for her time trial prowess but also for her respected role as a selfless domestique and breakaway contender.