Mirre Knaven
Hometown
Meerle, Belgium
Date of birth
18 August 2004
Languages
Dutch, English, basic French, and 10 words of Czech
Nickname
Mirretjo
With three sisters and two former elite athletes for parents, Mirre Knaven grew up in an active household. The first sport she was involved in was gymnastics but when her oldest sister decided to swap gymnastics for cycling, seven-year-old Mirre followed and she hasn’t looked back since.
Though she’s raced mountain bikes and cyclocross, road cycling is what really captured her heart. She still enjoys doing a handful of cyclocross races in the off-season just to mix things up, but she is happiest spending her winters escaping the Belgian weather and heading to sunny Mallorca.
Mirre is still developing and discovering her strengths at this early stage in her career. Earlier in 2024, she earned her first professional win. The joy she felt that day stemmed from the perseverance and grit she used to take that win. She lives for the classics season when both of her all-time favorite races – Ronde van Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubaix – happen. She dreams of winning one (or both!) of these monuments one day.
Questions & Answers
What is your favorite climb?
Coll dels Reis in Mallorca because of the amazing views
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you want to go?
I want to go backpacking in Australia with friends
What is your favorite pump-up song?
Don't Stop Me Now by Queen
What is your favorite word in your native language and what does it mean?
Gezellig. There's not a literal translation to English but it's similar to the word cozy because it describes a feeling of being at ease. You can say a home is gezellig but you can also say that hanging out with friends is gezellig.
Giro, Tour, or Vuelta? Why?
The Tour! It's the best known race in the world. The times I've been there to watch it, it's just different from all other races. The atmosphere is amazing.