Diana Žiliūtė

Who is Diana Žiliūtė?

Diana Žiliūtė is a Lithuanian racing cyclist who dominated the sport in the late 1990s.

She made her debut in the women's pro cycling ranks in the mid-1990s after winning the 1994 World Junior Road Race Championship. She rose to the top of women's cycling in 1998 when she won two World Cup races, the overall World Cup Points title, and capped the season by winning the World Road Race Championships and leading the UCI points list.

The following year, she further demonstrated her all around prowess by winning the Grande Boucle, one of the hardest stage races ever in women's cycle racing history. This was followed in 2000 by a bronze medal at the Summer Olympics.

For her achievements, Žiliūtė was awarded the Order of Gediminas, a Lithuanian state honor.