The Dutch Carlijn Achtereekte, 32, will give a radical change to her sports career starting June 1. Achtereekte, 3,000m speed skating Olympic champion at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, she will change the skates for the bicycle to join the Jumbo-Visma women’s team.
Achtereekte was already part of the Jumbo-Visma structure but in the speed skating division, where the Jumbo also has a team, and where it achieved great results such as the aforementioned Olympic gold in 3,000 meters or world silver in this same distance in 2020.
After ending his contract with the skating team last April, Achtereekte approached Merijn Zeeman with the idea of joining the women’s team of cycling to continue in the professional sport. “I’ve already given it my all in skating, but I haven’t done it all in professional sport yet.”
In statements collected by Jumbo-Visma, Achtereekte herself celebrated her arrival to the women’s cycling team. “I have always had a passion for cycling. Sometimes I thought: why not do it? But I was also good at skating and I was focused on it. Now I have the opportunity to become a professional cyclist and I am very grateful for it. I am very ambitious.”