There’s power in the mind
“The mind is very powerful and my riding depends on the way I feel mentally. I feel like when I’m in a bad mood and I ride in a group, it intensifies and the same goes for when I’m in a good mood. For the ultra, what really kept me going was my partner back home and his mostly unsolicited advice. Me and my friend Kat, who I was riding in pair with, dubbed him our ‘Director Sportif,’ as he’d keep repeating, ‘You just need to ride; slow or fast, it doesn’t matter, since it’s all in your head.’ I also know that I thrive in bad conditions. That’s when I perform best. This is what made it possible for me to complete the ultra. It’s your mental state that gets you to the finish line and I didn’t train for it. I kept telling myself, ‘It’s just a long ride together with my friend and my goal is for us to stay friends after the 1000km.’ While I don’t think ultras are for me, with this mindset, I proved to myself and everyone else that if I want, I can be a strong cyclist. The ride itself was an emotional rollercoaster and having sympathy during it was key. Most of it was about finding peace, female empowerment and good vibes, which was so good for our friendship.”
