Against all odds: Van Dijk heads to Paris, but is gold possible?

It's nothing short of a miracle that Ellen van Dijk will make it to the start of the Olympic Games, in Saturday's time trial. The Dutch cyclist recently broke her ankle, recovered quickly, and can now participate in the race against the clock. However, her chances of winning a medal have diminished due to the injury. Van Dijk also has trouble clipping in and out of her pedals because of the lingering effects of the injury.

"My ankle still has limited mobility. But that's not a problem on the bike. I don't have to worry about it. I just can't unclip from the pedals, but that's not necessary in the time trial," she told Cycling Weekly. Van Dijk mainly had to train indoors and used a support brace during her sessions. "It was a severe crash with quite nasty consequences. In that moment, you just don't know how quickly you'll recover."

Still, Van Dijk is convinced she can reach a certain standard. "Of course, it's different, but I was very fit when I crashed, so my form will return quickly. Walking is harder than cycling, but it's not about walking. My ankle doesn't hurt on the bike, and that's the most important thing."

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Van Dijk is cautious about her medal chances in the time trial in Paris

In the podcast Hello Paris, Van Dijk also discussed her chances of winning a medal. "It feels special to be here again. I've really had to rely on my willpower in recent weeks. My ankle is doing well now, we've been doing scans every week. Walking is still very difficult. I walk with a brace. But luckily, I don't have to participate in athletics. In terms of what I'm good at, things are going well."

"I’m just going to give my all on Saturday. My form is good, otherwise, I wouldn't be here. But it hasn’t been an ideal preparation. Grace Brown and Chloé Dygert, they are the top favorites. I'm in a group behind those two. I spent three and a half weeks in a cast. We'll see what happens, but winning gold is just not very realistic," she concluded in the podcast.