It’s been forecast for a number of years that Lidl-Trek and Canada had a new multidisciplinary star on their hands, but the reality wasn’t expected to hit this quickly. But just two days before she turned 20, leaving behind a teenager career that included four world titles in mountain bike and cyclocross, Bella Holmgren announced her arrival on the road stage, winning her first pro race. Among the riders she outsmarted included Elisa Longo Borghini, Évita Muzic and Silvia Persico. Crème de la crème of women’s racing, all denied by a youngster only competing against elites in Europe for the 16th time. The apprentice beating the masters.

“I definitely was not expecting to win this season and I was pretty emotional because I was so shocked to do so,” Holmgren, from southern Ontario, Canada, tells Rouleur about her victory at the Durango-Durango one-day race in Spain’s Basque Country in late-May, where she attacked over the final climb with 10km to go, holding on for the win by eight seconds. “I’m really just trying to be the best teammate I can and learn that role. The first time I thought about winning was when I crossed the line. I didn’t even have a celebration ready!”

Ominous signs, then, for the peloton of what could be about to come. But they can’t say they haven’t been warned: Holmgren, as well as her twin sister and fellow Lidl-Trek rider Ava, has been tipped for stardom for a number of years, winning 13 of the 20 international mountain bike cross-country races she’s ever raced – a win percentage of 65% – while she’s racked up eight international cyclocross victories.

This article was published in Rouleur in June 2025. You can read the full article here.