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Athletic career and achievements
Elena Hartmann is one of the most compelling athletes in the evolving world of professional gravel racing. A 3x Swiss National Individual Time Trial Champion, Olympic athlete, 2x Tour de France finisher and winner of nine UCI races, Elena built her reputation through resilience, consistency and an unconventional path into elite sport.
What is more, she has achieved this in three years, since starting her professional cycling career at 32. When many athletes are considering retirement, Elena rapidly established herself at World Tour level before making the transition into gravel racing and launching THE DIESEL PROJECT, Switzerland’s first independent professional female gravel racing program.
Known for her toughness, adaptability and self-sufficient approach to racing, Elena combines elite competition with part-time work as a police officer at Kantonspolizei Zürich. Her move into gravel represents more than a discipline change, it reflects a broader philosophy around independence, reinvention and proving that high-performance careers do not have an expiration date.
In 2026, Elena is focused on building THE DIESEL PROJECT into one of the most recognisable independent programs in international gravel racing. Her calendar includes major UCI gravel events across Europe, races in the USA and a documentary-led project through South Africa’s Karoo region that will showcase the realities of solo gravel racing, endurance and life beyond the traditional team structure.
Alongside performance goals, Elena is committed to growing the visibility of women’s gravel racing while documenting the journey through multilingual content and storytelling that continues to resonate with cycling audiences across Europe and beyond.
Recent results:

The Traka 200 (Spain) – 5th
The Hills (Italy) – 3rd
UCI Gravel World Series WE – Castellon Gravel Race (Spain) – 3rd
Santa Vall (Spain) – 15th

Rankings:

3x Swiss National ITT Champion
9 UCI career victories
Olympic athlete
2x Tour de France finisher

Coaching and community:
Beyond racing, Elena is rapidly gorwing a highly engaged online audience through her witty, honest and behind-the-scenes approach to storytelling. Her social platforms provide a rare insight into balancing elite sport, police work and independent racing, helping her connect authentically with both dedicated cycling fans and broader endurance sport audiences.
Through THE DIESEL PROJECT, Elena is helping redefine what a modern professional athlete can look like: self-managed, commercially aware, multidimensional and deeply connected to community.
Sport background:
Elena transitioned into professional cycling later than most elite athletes, beginning her career at 32 before progressing to World Tour level competition. Her background in time trialling, stage racing and endurance performance has translated naturally into gravel racing, where adaptability, resilience and self-reliance are critical.
 
Raised in Graubünden, Switzerland’s multilingual mountain canton, Elena developed a strong connection to endurance, terrain and cross-cultural communication from an early age — qualities that continue to shape both her racing style and public profile today.
Challenges and opportunity

Elena competes across a UCI-level gravel calendar spanning Europe, the USA and South Africa, including some of the fastest-growing and most commercially visible events in endurance sport. As an independent athlete racing without traditional team infrastructure, support directly contributes to race access, travel, equipment and the ability to compete consistently at an international level.

Alongside racing, Elena is building an engaged audience across the Swiss and European cycling community through authentic, personality-led storytelling. Her witty and honest social content offers a rare behind-the-scenes perspective into elite gravel racing, balancing professional sport with police work, and navigating life as an independent athlete.

The Diesel Project also presents strong content and brand storytelling opportunities through multilingual race coverage, documentary-style content and highly relatable insights into resilience, reinvention and unconventional success. With a dual-career background, mountain roots in Graubünden and a self-built professional program, Elena represents a modern athlete narrative that resonates far beyond traditional cycling audiences.