It was my 5th time in a row to paddle the SUP 11-City Tour and every year is different.
I never thought I would win this year. I came to Friesland to enjoy and have fun and that’s exactly what I had. I could gain a lot of energy from the support of my friends and the whole crew on the side and just enjoyed what I was doing. That helped me immensely mentally. Because having the mental strength to persevere and enjoy even in difficult conditions is especially important.
Smile and go for it, no matter the conditions and we had really tough conditions this year! Wind gusts up to 70 kmh (headwind of course) and rain, therefore we paddled mostly together to save energy. The race was super close and excited for everyone. Before the last day I was just 10 seconds in front and I new I had to give everything on the last 27 k time trial back to Leeuwarden. My advantage now was that I could chase. Weirdly enough I went through the 5 days without any muscle or body pain, except of some nasty blisters. I knew it was going to be a tough battle with the super strong Petronella van Malsen. Thanks for the pep talk by Ella I started fully motivated, because I had nothing to loose and in the end it was fortunately enough, whereby a big compliment to Petronella, who was extremely strong every day and also pushed me very hard to deliver. Also a big shout out to Nicoline Elisavetha Rasmussen finishing 3rd in her first participation and to all the others who made it through really hard 5 days. You are all heros!
This year everything just worked out and I was able to perfectionize my routine regarding the nutrition, which in the end made the difference for me compared to previous years.
After the race I was just overwhelmed of everything, it felt like a movie that passed by so quick. Super emotional, happy and stoked and still trying to process everything. Thanks to everyone for all the cheers, support and love they gave me. That had definitely giving me wings! You’re part of this victory!