Babette van der Wolf grew up surrounded by bicycles. Her father, Michael van der Wolf, competed in the pro peloton for nine seasons, riding for three different second-tier teams between 1996-2000. She attributes her love for the sport to her upbringing in the Netherlands with a role model like her father, inspiration from her older sister, and an affinity for managing the ever-present wind in the Netherlands – "The wind, the fight, the chaos, I love it all".
While still a junior, Van der Wolf found success on the track, winning a European Championship on the track and finishing with a bronze medal in the Madison (with Nienke Veenhoven) at the UCI Junior Track Worlds in Israel.
