Athletes are human, humans don’t live flat lines…athletes don’t act in flat lines…things happen unexpected or expected. Sometimes an athlete is  in a ‘super’period where all fits well in perspective to performance. Health, weather, results, balance in life, job,… ready to rumble!

No, this is not a costume for Tomorrowland. David got 2 fractures in his wrist after a bikecrash, for which he’ll get surgery next week. But already he’s determined to not let this affect his motivation, he’s already back on the turbo and soon he’ll be running again!

1 small change in these things can make the life of an athlete a bit more unexpected, more difficult. An athlete can change jobs, can divorce, has too work later than expected, misses his plain to an international race, can  forget his gels for a long race or simply can get into an accident. Untill now, each year we had athletes who were caught by a car for example, none of them didn’t came back! Last few weeks we sure had some athletes who had some unexpected things going on. Each of these athletes is now on the way of coming back to race hard! Tom for example had his things going on. But meanwhile he already won a triathlon, a team time trial and became 2nd in a Individual Time Trial. He fought back, and still is.

Multiple AG world champion duathlon Jan may pull a line through his races! He was more than ready to perform big in his Italian triathlon race program and the ITU/PM world championships Duathlon later this year. Jan was pushed into a rocky wall by a loser-athlete which was passed by Jan. We know it’s frustrating our athletes ride like hell…but that’s not a solution. Just train hard! Broken finger, broken collarbone, broken bikeparts and a bit of a broken heart are his part. But we know how Jan reacts know, he is pissed off and dying to race again and being in shape. He will…he’s got the determination in him.

Some of our athletes had changes in jobs, which always needs an adaptationperiod. Good communication in that case is all for performing well. Other athletes had kids, moved, had to  deal with the loss of a familymember,…

In the dealing with these things, you find the real athlete’s heart. The willing, sustaining and determination of the personality of the athlete are  important things to work with an athlete.

One of our young U19cyclists Bjarne broke his collarbone in may, now he’s riding for the podium already! He never believed me when I told him he would be ON his bike again after 5days of licking wounds…he did, on the turbo. I simply said: “If my other athletes can go 3h on the turbo, you can also…or not?”Bjarne is a listening kid, a worker…he wanted to slam back in his next races…he did! Great show of willing!

Oh, and next time an athlete feels like scrambled eggs…he/she should read the interview with Brooke again, it’s also about eggs , and the motivation to fly fast again very soon!

Train Smart,

Jesse