Ellen Van Dijk always had a need for speed. Becoming a speed skater at eight and cycling since the age of ten, Ellen has been competing for most of her life. Ultimately Ellen found more success as a cyclist, having become a national cycling champion for the fifth time in 2007, so she quit speed skating and became a full-time cyclist.  

Racking up the world title successes, Ellen decided she would try her hand at claiming a world record. So in April 2022, Ellen announced she would try to break the hour record on May 23rd in Grenchen, Switzerland, and on May 23rd, Ellen did just that.

In today's episode, we sit down with Ellen to talk about how she went from speed skater to UCI Hour Champion world record holder. We'll cover Ellen's backstory, how she claimed the UCI Hour Champion world record, including managing the nerves leading up to the race, and she'll even give advice for younger cyclists looking to turn professional.

Ellen Van Dijk 2022 Season in Review: https://racing.trekbikes.com/stories/trek-segafredo-women/2022-season-in-review-ellen-van-dijk

Every fall, thousands come to Trek’s global headquarters in Waterloo, WI, for one weekend to witness riders from all over the world race at the Trek CX Cup. From juniors, to weekend warriors, to the top riders, everyone is welcome at Trek’s CX Cup. And all certainly feel welcomed when greeted with cowbells, people in costumes, a world-class course, food, beer, and one hell of a good time. 

But the Trek CX Cup that started in 2017 is more than just a good time; it has been instrumental in getting more people on bikes, the standard of equal pay between men and women professional riders, and exposing more people in the US to a very European-dominated aspect of cycling. In today’s episode, we sit down with Chad Brown, CFO of Trek Bikes, to break down what cyclocross is, how cyclocross began, the significance of Trek’s CX Cup, and even what the secret bar is.

Valentina Höll has been cycling for the better part of her life. Growing up in a rural town in Austria with parents who were avid cyclists, she soon found her way into the sport. Vali's journey began at just the age of three, but it wasn't until she won her first race against a bunch of boys at thirteen that she knew she had found her calling.

By age twenty, Valentina Höll captured three World Championship titles, one of which was in 2022, just a few weeks before recording this episode. Fortunately for us, Vali was able to find time in her busy schedule to discuss the cycling journey that led her to such success and where she hopes to see her career go in the future.

Read more here: https://racing.trekbikes.com/stories/rockshox-trek/interview-how-vali-holl-learned-to-let-loose