Diana Žiliūtė
The Lithuanian rider who dominated the sport in the late 1990s celebrated her 45th birthday on 28 May. She won the Junior World Championships in 1994 and four years later took the overall world cup title, followed in the same year by the world championship title. In 1999, she added an overall win at the Grand Boucle to her palmarès, as well as a bronze medal at the Olympics in 2000. After winning many more stage races and one-day events, she retired in 2009. These days, she works in sport marketing for a sportswear company and lives in Italy. She still continues to be involved in cycling in a role that brings her experience to the development of Italian junior riders.
Lotto Thüringen Ladies Tour
On the fourth stage of this year’s edition of the Lotto Thüringen Ladies Tour, the peloton took on an uphill finish on the top of the Hanka-Berg in Dörtendorf, Germany. The hill was named after Hanka Kupfernagel in order to honour the region’s greatest rider. The now 47-year-old rider became the first female cyclocross World Champion and added two gold medals in that discipline to her palmarès. She also won gold at the 2007 Road World Championships in the time trial discipline, a silver Olympic medal, multiple national titles as well as several road and mountain bike races during her long career. Nowadays she is a brand ambassador and works as a fitness coach. |
