Dutch rider Ellen van Dijk may have been worried that it was the end of her Paris Olympic Games aspirations when she fractured her ankle at a training camp in Spain last month, but the master of the quick comeback will be lining up among the favourites at Saturday’s time trial.
The three time world champion in the discipline will be chasing her first Olympic medal in 2024, after having come eighth in her first appearance in 2012 and fourth in Rio in 2016, though she had looked to be heading toward a medal before losing precious time when she made a mistake in the first half.
Van Dijk then missed the chance to try again in Tokyo, not gaining selection in the stacked Dutch team and for a while there it looked like her chance in Paris may also disappear.
“I thought it was all over,” said Van Dijk, of the fracture to her right ankle in June, which required surgery. “It was a tough crash with pretty nasty ramifications, and at that very moment, you just don’t know how quick you’ll recover.
“I held on to the fact that after my pregnancy I was back on the bike within three weeks and it felt good … Of course it’s different, but I was very fit when I crashed, so [thought] the level will return quickly too.”
That means the 37-year-old rider who claimed her world time trial titles in 2013, 2021 and 2022, is heading into her third Olympics with hopes that it will finally deliver a chance to step on the podium.
“It’s my dream,” said Van Dijk. “I haven’t had an ideal preparation and that may affect (my race), but in the end, I feel good and I’m going to give it my all. I want to enjoy it, because being here is special as it is.”
Working in the Dutch rider’s favour is the course, 32.4km long on a flat route from Invalides to the Alexander III bridge in Paris.
“It suits me. It’s a power course, lots of straight riding, not too technical, very beautiful, but the surface is bad and that’s a pity,” said Van Dijk “There’s a lot of bumps and holes, but everyone’s got to deal with it.”
What everyone doesn’t have to deal with, though, is a still recovering ankle.
“It doesn’t bother me on the bike and that’s the most important thing,” said Van Dijk. “I don’t need a brace anymore. Walking is more difficult than cycling, but it’s not about walking.
“The ankle doesn’t have much mobility yet, but that’s no problem on the bike. I don’t have to worry about it. It’s just that I can’t unclick from the pedals, but there’s no need for that in the time trial.”