We’re excited to welcome aboard Anne-Marije Rook as a full-time Ella co-editor. When we launched Ella in February, we were serious about our mission of creating a digital space that would appeal to every female cyclist and those that love the women’s slice of the cycling pie. It has been our objective since day one to become one of the leading voices in women’s cycling coverage. We counted on our readers to show up and speak up and help us shape this space. And you’ve done that in spades. You have exceeded our expectations in the reception you’ve given us, welcoming us with such open arms, support, friendly encouragement and a demand for more.

We take our responsibility of meeting this demand for more and better content seriously. Whether you’re new to cycling or an avid fan of women’s racing, we want to be your homepage and go-to source for all high quality content for all things women’s cycling. We’ve recently introduced several new weekly columns, new writers and new features as part of our effort to meet this demand.

“I’m blown away at the response we’ve had on Ella,” said CyclingTips founder Wade Wallace. “Our growth is far beyond my expectations at this early stage. Our work has only started and we’re lucky to have such a fantastic team running things. Having Anne-Marije aboard will allow us to service you, our readers, even better and bring an even more diverse range of content to you. Thanks to our partners Specialized and Pearl Izumi, who have put an enormous amount of faith in us, we’ve been able to get Ella off the ground and well-stocked with a wide assortment of content intended for female cyclists.”

Rook has been an integral part of Ella since the launch. Initially brought on board to write a weekly column, Rook has consistently over-delivered. We’re eager to see what she will do when she’s able to give her time and talent to Ella full-time. She comes to us with a decade’s worth of journalism experience as a reporter, editor and communications director. She’s been a voice in women’s cycling coverage for several years and brings with her a wide range of knowledge spanning the full spectrum of the sport – from the brand new beginner to the elite racer. Read more about Anne-Marije here.

“Anne-Marije has proved a reliable source of information, experience, reason and ideas from the start - even before Ella was Ella,” said Ella co-editor Jessi Braverman. “It has been equal parts rewarding and fun to work with Anne-Marije as a writer and contributing editor, and I’m confident our combined full-time efforts will take Ella to new heights. It’s easy to forget that Ella is still so new given how far we’ve come in just five months. I’m very exited about what else we can accomplish in our first year with Anne-Marije as my co-editor.”

“Like me, Anne-Marije will wear many hats,” Braverman added. “She will write. She will edit. She will oversee our ever-expanding editorial calendar and help us grow our social channels. In her first three months alone as co-editor, she will travel to Korea, Yorkshire and the Dolomites to bring you features on cycling in each of these regions.”

“I’m thrilled to focus all my time on Ella,” said Rook. “This position combines my love of writing and my passion for women’s cycling, and I look forward to helping the publication grow into a leading source for all things women’s cycling.”

Rook starts full-time on June 1st. Please give her a warm Ella welcome.