Ellen van Dijk has announced that she is expecting her first child in September and will take maternity leave from racing throughout 2023. Ellen van Dijk, a time trial world champion and UCI Hour Record holder, is aiming to return to competition with the 2024 Paris Olympics as her goal. [Me and Benjamin are very excited about the news that we are expecting our first child in September. Having a family has always been our wish, so it feels a little unrealistic right now that this wish will come true," van Dijk said.

Van Dijk, who is under contract with Trek-Segafredo until the end of 2024, broke the UCI hour record of 49.154 km in May and won his third career world title in the individual time trial at the UCI Road World Championships in Wollongong in September, last year enjoyed one of his most successful seasons.

"Along with the unwavering support of my team and Benjamin, I was able to achieve my biggest goals in the last two years. Last year, when we began discussing a contract extension, we talked about my seemingly conflicting ambitions: I want to win a medal at the 2024 Olympics, but I also want to have a family. Immediately, the team was open to both scenarios, and it was incredibly heartwarming," van Dijk said.

Van Dijk attended Trek Segafredo's pre-season training camp and spoke with Cycling News about her legacy as a time triallist, her future goals, and being relaxed about her racing and career. The team also unveiled her new TrekSpeed concept, which is a new way for her to get a better feel for the sport of cycling.

She said she is looking forward to competing in La Vuelta Femminine in May and the Tour de France Femme in July, but is also looking forward to taking a break from racing to have a family.

"Of course, it's a shame I won't be able to race in the new supersonic speed concept this year, and I was really looking forward to wearing the rainbow at the Tour de France Féminin and the Vuelta.

"Still, it's great to see the race taking time trials so seriously. It would be odd not to defend my world title this year, but by then my mind will be somewhere else entirely."

Van Dyk admitted that she felt supported in the early stages of her pregnancy, which was discovered in January during a training camp for the Trek Segafredo team.

"Obviously, pregnancy is not something you can fully plan for. Especially for elite athletes, they don't always have regular menstrual cycles like I did. So I consider myself even more fortunate to have been able to conceive. After Benjamin, Manuel [Rodriguez, doctor] and Jos [Larrazabal, performance manager] were the first to tell me about it."

"This is when the phrase "the team is like a family" really comes alive. They were so excited for us and gave us their full support. A little later, I called Ina [Teutenberg, sports director], who was in Australia at the time, and she was also incredibly supportive and happy for us. Everyone responded so positively and I couldn't have asked for a better environment to go on this trip."

She also confirmed tentative plans to return to competition during the 2024 season.

"I certainly have unfinished business at the Olympics; in 2016 I crashed in the time trial and finished a disappointing fourth.

"At the moment, I'm not thinking beyond that. We are really looking forward to this big adventure, but of course we have no idea what it will actually be like. This pregnancy is all new to me and there is a lot going on in my body.

Van Dijk's maternity leave comes as her teammate Lizzie Deignan is preparing to return to racing after the birth of her second child. The Dutch rider credits Trek-Segafredo for paving the way for the two women to balance family life and professional careers.

"Having Lizzie on the team means a lot to me. She is a role model and seeing what she does is very inspiring. Lizzie and Phil [Dignan] have proven that it is possible to have a family and make a comeback. I'll probably be asking her for advice from time to time too," van Dijk said. [Trek's] full support is special, and they are truly game changers in women's cycling. Having the option to get pregnant during your career should be a human right, but in our sport it has not been. But thanks to Trek, they set an example for other teams to support pregnancy, and eventually it became a UCI rule as well."