Eating disorders still dominate cycling: "Could have been a lot happier..."

According to its own website, the foundation (W)eet Wat Je Doet is "a network of instructors who provide training on how athletes and dancers can healthily maximize their performance." Of course, nutrition plays an essential role in this. On Sunday, Oct. 6, the foundation hosted a meeting where several names in cycling were guests. The AD was there, and exciting anecdotes emerged about food issues.

The legendary Tadej Pogacar spoke about it recently, but discussing nutrition in cycling is often still taboo. Aiming for a body weight to the point where it becomes unhealthy is something barely talked about. Sports psychologist Karin de Bruin, founder of the W(eet) Wat Je Doet Foundation, also sees this. "Athletes so often keep it to themselves; they should be brave, not vulnerable. But everyone knows insecurities and discomfort. If you can express that, it helps you," De Bruin knows.

At the meeting, Tristan Bangma, paralympic cycling champion, gave an insight into his food problems during his career. "Two slices of bread, no sauce on the pasta, sometimes I only ate lettuce. I was calculating all day. It's ridiculous, I think, now. But I was utterly convinced I was doing the right thing back then," Bangma looks back.

An injury opened his vision to food issues. "Only when I was forced to sit still did I get the space to escape that ingrained pattern. That should be perfectly normal, but I also kept it to myself for a long time. And precisely because of that, I couldn't be helped for long. So talk about it. You help yourself with it and maybe someone else," the Paralympic champion alludes to the mental problems it brings.

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"I sold myself so short in that, I was so lonely," said Roxanne Knetemann

Cycling commentator Knetemann also experienced eating problems during her time as a rider, although she sees a change with cycling today. "Maybe the roads were in my time too, but you had to find them yourself. Now, everything is integrated into the teams. And then I sometimes think: I sold myself so short that I was so lonely. I could have been a lot happier if I had had more insight, support, and guidance," she stresses again, mentioning the importance of discussing this issue.

Still, food will always play a crucial role in cycling for her. "Because we can't escape that uphill is where the important races are won, but it's also the fuel you need. And every optimally trained body is different. So, only draft a rider if she is completely healthy. And as far as I'm concerned, that goes beyond an elbow fracture."