Welkom op mijn website. Je leest hier over mijn belevenissen en ervaringen als wielrenster. Naast verhalen zijn er natuurlijk ook veel foto's en video's. Ik probeer van iedere wedstrijd die ik rijd een update te posten!
Welcome to my website. Here you can read some stories of my experiences as a cyclist. Next to that you will find pictures and little movies. I will try to keep the website updated!
Veel plezier! Enjoy!
Too long no message! Let us see how many excuses I can find: First of all, cycling season 2010 is finished and for me it is also finished for next year. I decided to stop with cycling competitions. It was great to race the last few years, but now I'm finishing my studies and I would like to start working next year. I don't want to combine a cycling career with a part time job. I'm not good enough to compete with the top of the cycling world and I want to take my chance in my first full time job. Read more...
July the second was an exciting evening. The evening of the world soccer quarter finals, the evening before the start of the Tour de France and the evening of the presentation of Maarten Ducrots book: "Wie de trui past trekke hem aan"!
Now it is already the end of July! The bad world soccer final is already forgotten, the Tour de France will arrive in Parijs tomorrow and I just finished the book of Maarten. I started writing this text on 3th of July and then totally forgot to finish it and time is going so incredible fast. Read more...
The most South West province of Holland, Zeeland, gave home to the more stage race of last weekend. Germans probably know Zeeland, because during summer a lot of German tourists can be found there. Other foreigners maybe know Zeeland because of the North Sea Flood in 1953 (if they are interested in history). A combination of storm and spring tide resulted in a flood with water levels up to 5 to 6 meters above sea level! This flood has killed 1835 people in Holland. Read more...
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In former days everything was better!! Probably your grandparents have said or say it many times. But I'm always wondering what these former days are? When you are little you mean with the past maybe 2 years ago, when you are a teenager the past is around 5 years ago, when you are mid-twenty the past is 15 years ago and when you become 65 years old the past is 30-50 years ago!! So with time the past is getting further away? Read more...
When I see the blisters on my hand I think of my last race in Rijssen, the pavement felt like a scrubbing board! After 70 km I found three blisters on my hands. But I don't care because they make me think of so many nice experiences I had with blisters!! Read more...
Just before leaving home I decided to check my chain, during the last training I heard some noise. Checking my chain I saw that something was wrong, forward paddling was ok, but backward paddling was impossible. When I took a closer look I saw that a link was at one side open!! I was really happy to find out, I don't want to know what happens if you break your chain during the race at 40+ km/h!! Read more...
This afternoon we had the cycling race in Veldhoven. I came home two hours ago (17.30h) and the first thing I did was checking the tv. Did it record the Giro d'Italia? Yes, good, time to relax and time to watch the bunch of cyclists who were trying to find their way from Amsterdam to Utrecht. I know that it's very hard when you are not used to Dutch roads with speed bumps, roundabouts and everywhere reliëf to seperate lanes and decrease the speed!! Read more
Normally you go to Italy to see the Giro d' Italia, the following three days will be the other way around, the Giro d' Italia will visit Holland!! How strange is that! The pink tour will start with a prolog in the center of Amsterdam. The second and third stages will start in Amsterdam and finish in Utrecht and Middelburg. Read more...
During my internship at Ferrari I subscribed for a game called BestGraduates, a game that is held every year and you can participate in the year that you will graduate. You had to sent your high school grades, your university grades and your cv. After an online assessment you could be invited for the next round. Read more...
Back in business! Yesterday we raced in Dwingeloo, a Dutch international race of 140km. During this race there is one thing what you need to keep in mind, go to the front and stay there! Well, you think, that's nothing news? But especially in this race it is harder to keep your place, you really have to fight for it! Read more...
Some rain is always expected in spring. You have to be prepared for wet races, because you will have them for sure. But there is some difference between a wet race, a wet windy race, a wet dirty race or wet race with cobble stones (or combinations of them). Today I had a wet race with some dirt. It was not too bad because the track was good with not too many corners or dangerous cobble stones. There was only some mud and horse shit... Read more...
It is a mistery! How is it possible, above Brabant (a province of Holland) strange figures of contrails have been seen! And people saw an aircraft that suddenly vanished in a contrail!?! And what about the contrails that were behind the aircraft, then suddenly dissappear and two seconds later appear again!?! Read more...
I'm standing in front of my drawer full with cycling clothes. What do I need for today? It is my first race of the year and it feels strange, there is no rhythm yet...During the season you don't have to think of what you want to wear, what you want to eat or what you do before, during and after the race. You are in a flow, a rhythm of racing. Read more...
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Team Leontien.nl on TV! RTV Rijnmond made a little movie of our training week in Calpe, Spain. See more...
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The days are moving fast! It is beautiful to train in the area around Calpe, although a few things are irritating me. Or maybe irritation is not the right word, dissappointment is what I feel. I'm talking about all the buildings near the sea side. Awful concrete flats are placed everywhere! I know that these buildings and their tourism make our team trip possible, but still I don't like them. I feel dissappointed that we human beings are able to ruin a beautiful coast like this. Read more...
By plane to Spain! We arrived in the evening in Calpe after a relaxed flight. We will train with the whole team for ten days to be prepared for the coming season. We didn't had a decent dinner and while the others preferred to go to bed, Monique, Heleen and I went out to get some food. In the nearest bar I ordered some nice bocadillos in my best Italian. Unbelieveable, the guy also spoke Italian, so once again I could practise my Italian (which is far better than my Spanish). Read more...
It was hard to say everyone goodbye in Italy! After a wonderful lunch at Saturday we drove back to Holland. In the light of a full moon and listening to the music of Pavarotti we passed the Brenner, Austria and entered Germany. A long night with snow, snow and snow. And when the sun was rising we finially arrived in Holland. Directly I made my first mistake, I stopped at a fuel station and bought a cappuccino! STUPID!! Of course, it tasted like...Read more..
And suddenly it is there, the last week, in Italy. It is really strange to imagine that I will wake up in Delft next Monday. It will be great to see my family again and I want to see the big belly of my pregnant sister! This weekend I went for a cycling training on Saturday. Read more...
Internet works again! A week ago we lost the phone and internet connection. As an internet addict I didn't like it of course, especially because here in Italy you never know when it will be fixed and internet is THE medium to contact friends and familiy all over the world. But last Friday they have fixed it, and how! Read more...
I could hear the fireworks in the streets around my parents home when I was speaking to my dad via Skype. It was 9pm, midnight was still far away. Time enough to think back of what happened in 2009. In Holland is New Years Eve a chaos, the whole evening is a continious spectacle of loud noises and lightning everywhere. You can find fires of christmas trees on every corner of the street and after midnight it takes a long time before silence returns. Read more ...
Rain, mud, snow and cold weather, in other words: cyclocross time! First my own training and then watch it on tv! In Holland during the weekends I used to go crossing in the forest around my parents home in Putten, every weekend there are tours for MTB or cyclocross organized by local cycle clubs. The tours are always different and even when you know the area well the weather conditions take care for some surprises. Slippery mud, water pools that are deeper than you thought, snow that covers the fallen branches and holes in the road, perfect winter training! Read more...
Today an update in English! I promised friends in Italy that I would write some texts in English, that makes it easier for them to understand :-) Maybe it is not the right moment to write an update, I feel sad today...The morning started white and cold. Our room isn't well insulated and that makes getting up a bit harder. I wanted to do my cycling training outdoors, there are some days that you have to go outside and feel the fresh air, even when you know that it's better to stay in. Read more...