After one of the toughest periods of her career, Lynn Valk is finally beginning to see the rewards for months of hard work and patience. The Dutch rider suffered a serious leg injury at Arnhem last season, breaking both her fibula and tibia in multiple places, forcing her to spend months on the sidelines. Returning to racing in 2026 was never going to be straightforward, especially with a switch to TM machinery and limited time to rediscover her form.
While the opening round of the Women’s Motocross World Championship in France provided encouraging signs, Valk looked even stronger at the second round in Germany, narrowly missing out on the podium by a single point. More importantly, she felt closer to her old self on the bike, showing the aggression and speed that made her one of the leading riders in WMX before injury struck.
We caught up with Valk as she discusses her recovery process, adapting to the TM, the progress she’s making each week, her thoughts on the future of WMX, a possible trip to Australia, and provides an update on her brother Cas following his latest injury setback.
GateDrop: Lynn, take me back to the winter, first of all. Obviously, you broke your leg which is a pretty big injury in Arnhem last year. When did you get back on a bike and did you have that much of a good preparation before round one of WMX last weekend?
Valk: Well yes, obviously last year in Arnhem I broke my fibula and tibia in four places, so it was a big injury. I spent six months off the bike, recovering, and I started riding again in the end of January/start of February. So obviously on a new bike, with an injury, it wasn’t the start I hoped I’d get because I struggled quite a bit. Before the first round I had quite some hours on the bike, but not feeling like myself on the bike, so it was pretty difficult.
Even last week in France it was okay for me. I was quite happy, satisfied, and last week I went riding again and I felt already much better. Today was much better, so slowly it’s starting to come back but it’s a long journey.
GateDrop: Last weekend in France the track conditions were very, very tough. Had you really practiced on a track like that, and at that level, it’s not easy?
Valk: Especially on a track like that, because on how the track was, the first moto, you don’t have a track like that close to us. I’ve been in Germany quite a few weekends, racing on hard pack and ruts and stuff like that, but the first moto was sketchy, the track was sketchy. On Sunday we have a completely different track, it’s the opposite for us, the women, because on Sunday we have a lot of water and it’s flat.
GateDrop: This weekend, I mean it’s only a week since you raced your first race with the TM, but I feel like this weekend was already a pretty big improvement, so you must be happy with the improvement in a short space of time, it’s only one week, not prime Lynn Valk yet, but signs that you’re getting better?
Valk: Yeah, definitely. Out of the four motos I got three good starts, today the start was a little bit shit, but my riding today was much more aggressive, much more like myself. I missed the podium by one point, so that’s a bit disappointing, but anyway, we see the progress, and that’s what I’m here about now, I want to see progress, and I want to fight the whole moto, and then I can be happy.
GateDrop: It’s quite strange to see a TM right at the front of a WMX, what’s it like with the brand, a new bike for you, did you need much time to adapt to the new bike?
Valk: To be honest, it’s a really good bike, at the start it’s really good. But yes, I think it’s a bit of both, like me coming back from an injury on a different bike than what you’re used to, it was tough to get used to it. But now when I’m starting to get more used to it, I’m starting to feel more like myself, we test quite a lot of stuff, and I still want to keep improving, and that’s what we’re going to do before the next round in Foxhill, we’re going to keep practicing, trying to change a few things, so we even get to be better there.
GateDrop: With the TM, everyone that rides a bike tells me, the engine seems to be good, but the suspension, it maybe takes a while to get the suspension right, have you found that? Do you still need a bit of time to maybe build the setup, but overall the engine seems to be quite strong on the TM?
Valk: Yes, the engine is really good, the suspension for me now is also really good, I’m back with Alfa Suspension for many years, so he knows me, I know him, and we’ve been testing the last couple of weeks. I was there three weekends in a row, and we really changed a lot, improved and got better.
GateDrop: It’s quite a while to Foxhill, have you got any races on the schedule between now and Foxhill, anything in Holland or anything like that, or is it just going to be practising, because obviously you haven’t raced in a long time, so you probably want to race quite a lot now to get that rhythm and that intensity back?
Valk: Yes, I think the first two weeks I won’t do a race, but after that I will see what’s on the calendar, maybe some German races, some Dutch races, so yes, obviously I want to do some races, but right now I’ll take a week off.
GateDrop: Just on WMX in America, I’m not sure if that’s a championship you followed last year, what’s your thoughts on it there, and in the future would you like to go to America, or would you focus on the World Championship?
Valk: No, obviously I followed it last year. This year it starts this weekend, but I will definitely follow it. It’s nice that the girls also are competing there, and yes, if there is an opportunity, I would definitely like to go there, because I think it’s nice to see where the level is at, compared to here and there.
GateDrop: Just on WMX, obviously I think you girls had six rounds last year, but it’s only five rounds this year, for me I think you should get more, not less, what would you say about that?
Valk: Yes, I want to get more, I think the minimum is eight rounds, and maybe even nine or ten, because right now when you get five rounds, and you get one that don’t finish, then you’re out of the championship, so that’s not nice for anyone. I think we should get treated more nicely. Also with the tracks we get and the schedules we get. I think there’s a lot more potential for the women, I think Infront needs to see that, and they need to appreciate the women that we are here with, 40 riders, it’s stacked with a full gate. I wish we get more rounds.
GateDrop: Are you going to do Australia this year, or will you make a decision closer to the time, obviously it costs a lot of money to get there…
Valk: Honestly at this point I don’t know, it’s a big travel, a lot of costs, so we have to see how Foxhill will go and how Arnhem will go. For sure I’ll do those two, about Australia I don’t know yet.
GateDrop: Last question on your brother, he got back on the KTM, and wow he was flying, but obviously disaster happened, how is he at the moment, probably a bit depressed when it happened, but hopefully he can see the light at the end of the tunnel, at least before the injury he showed what he can do again, that’s the main thing…
Valk: Cas is doing okay, he’s not running a marathon anytime soon, but he’s on the couch, he’s watching, he has a good mood, he’s happy. There’s just not so much you can do at this point, he was feeling really good, I know that I was happy that I could see my brother again, so it’s nice.
