Hi there!
This is me on my bike, my happy place. My name is Tanja, and I have so many ideas and energy. I think it is a superpower. It has led me to some fantastic results and some brilliant failures. It is never boring, I can tell you that.
Follow me here on my quest to add a bit more (bike) adventure to my life. I know it makes me a healthier and happier person to be around, but my biggest drive is that I want my girls growing up with more adventure in their life too. I don’t want them to be scared or bored (or zoned out in front of the tv).
Short bio, how it all began…
In 1995 I started mountainbiking after looking for a cool hobby that would make up for me sitting behind a computer all day long.
After a few years I bought a ‘light’ freerider in 2001 and I thought I’d have years of fun with it. Within 6 months I traded it in for a Santa Cruz Bullit. An awesome allround freeride/downhill bike. I finished the Megavalanche in 2003 and 2004 with it and even became the Dutch national champion Downhill in 2005.
2003 Co-Founded girlzz-offroad.com a platform for promoting women’s cycling on mountainbikes. This included organising tours, trainingcamps and skills-clinics. My personal highlights where the GO CUP events we held. A XC race, a Downhill race and a Dual Slalom. With one overall winner.
2006 Co-Founded Ghost Babes, a downhill team with Marieke Brinks, believe me we didn’t come up with the name ourselves.
2010 Co-Founded Freeride4girls.nl – blogging platform and freeride events. Highlight where 10 Dutch women participating in the Trek Bike Attack in Lenzerheide in 2012
2012 C0-Founded an international Downhill and enduro racing team (I left in 2014 for health reasons, this marked also my departure from racing).
2015 Co-Founded… no just kidding, my wife and I had twins. Shortly after I took a sabbatical from cycling.
2019 Co-Founded Gravelgirls.nl (podcast and website) started gravel-riding and bikepacking. Haven’t looked back since.
CURRENT BIKES
- Specialized Diverge Carbon Comp ’21, the one bike to rule them all.
- Trek Madone 5.5
(2011 – since 2019 static use only Wahoo Kickr) - 2007-present Gazelle steel rig Single speed
(1994 – decommissioned atm)
HISTORY OF BIKES
- 1995-1995 no-name steel rig with plastic pedals
- 1995-1997 Batavus Hunter Carbon Pro
- 1997-2000 Coyote Easton (Team Liersen Eemnes)
- 2001-2003 Giant XTC Big Bear
- 2003-2003 Da Bomb Cherry Bomb
- 2003-2005 Sunn Cross UN Singlespeed
- 2003-2005 Santa Cruz Bullit
- 2004-2004 GT Moto toxic green
- 2005-2005 Specialized Enduro (1998 model)
- 2006-2006 Ghost ERT5700 (Team Ghost Bikes Nederland)
- 2006-2006 Ghost Team Worldcup DH
- 2007-2008 Rocky Mountain Switch (Team Stappenbelt.com)
- 2007-2007 Mongoose alu cruiser (bmx)
- 2007-present Gazelle steel rig Single speed
- 2008-2010 Redline Proline Cruiser
- 2008-2009 Banshee Scirocco
- 2008-2009 Inbred On One
- 2009-2011 Trek Remedy 7
- 2010 – 2010 Santa Cruz Bullit (2003.5 model)
- 2011 – 2013 Trek Fuel ex 7
- 2011 – present Trek Madone 5.5
- 2011 – 2012 Trek Session 8 (2010)
- 2012 – 2012 Trek Slash 9 (Team Fietsshop Uitgeest)
- 2012 – 2013 Dartmoor Phantom custom
- 2013 – 2014 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Expert (2011-2014)
- 2013 – 2014 On One 456 Summersale
- 2013 – 2014 Moozes CX
- 2015 – 2019 Cannondale F29
- 2014 – 2020 Specialized Camber Evo
- 2019 – 2021 Specialized Diverge E5
- 2021 – present Specialized Diverge Carbon Comp
THE RACING
- 1996 – Downhill Spa, Belgium
- 1997 – Downhill Lake District, UK
- 1997-1998 XC racing + dual slalom
- 2003 Megavalanche
- 2003 Dual Slalom, 4x races
- 2004 Megavalanche
- 2004 Dual Slalom, 4x races
- 2005 Downhill races a.o. Winterberg, Bad Wildbad, Rittershausen (Became Dutch National Champion)
- 2006 Downhill races a.o. Winterberg, Sollingen, Chaudfontaine, Huy, Namur, Bad Wildbad, Rittershausen, Worldcup Willingen (31th) ranked nr. 100 UCI list
- 2007 Megavalanche
- 2007 Downhill races a.o. Winterberg, Sollingen, Chaudfontaine, Huy, Namur, Bad Wildbad
- 2009 Trek Bike Attack, All Mountain events
- 2011 Trek Bike Attack, All Mountain events
- 2012 Trek Bike Attack, All Mountain events
- 2012 Enduro races, Easyphone Cup, Dark Dog Enduro, Winterberg IXS Enduro race
- 2013 Stopped racing, only All Mountain events
- 2014 Trans-Provence