DAY IN THE LIFE OF a PROFESSIONAL CYCLIST Ft. Hélène Hesters

Hi, my name is Helene Hesters and I ride for the Lift Alula Jayco developments team. In a reduced bunch, a sprinter and maybe also a puncher, classic rider. Multiple discipline? No, I don't know how to say like everything a bit, just endurance, medicine rider, kind of. True, because of Covid, because before that I did gymnastics and we couldn't have any more contact sports. So yeah, maybe because of that. And then my brother, actually I was kind of jealous of the sport he did and I just tried it, but I hated it at the beginning. It was actually quite a surprise also for me. Maybe at that time I was actually still 19, so quite young and I've been through so much emotions like going to the Olympics and being at the Olympics. It was a roller coaster of emotions, but it was a crazy feeling. Maybe my first lead European title and my brother becoming third at the same championships on the same day, so I would say that one. I would say my brother. If I'm having a bad day, he's like, oh no, you have to go ride your bike. And then I'm like, oh yeah, so then I just go and then he's the one that motivates me. Our sprint. Early morning ride. You have to like see the small steps. It's really not going like every day better and better, no. You always have a downfall and you just have to try and motivate yourself and just like find it in the small steps you make, because even the small steps are big steps. How we go about 7.30? We got oats, overnight oats. It's easiest, it's early, so then we don't have to do anything in the morning. Just get ready and go to the track after. Well, I needed to be a bit classy today, so I actually sold my brothers, because it's my brothers. Yeah, well, we have different ones. The small one is for you, the big one is for Noah, and then the middle one is for me. I made it yesterday and it's with oats, a little, we say meuselstrontjes for a mouse, and then agave syrup and some raspberries to have some good taste in it. Now we're gonna make our bag, go to the track, do the gym session before track training and then have a good track training, hopefully. You always park in the morning. Well, yeah, actually I do. It's easier. Like the day before, I don't know what I need. Now I know what I need, but I probably still forgot something, because I always forgot something and then I have to ask other girls. Most important actually for my gym, I don't know if you know this, but this calculates the speed you go up with. You do your gym session with this, so it calculates how much kilograms you need that day, if you have a good day or a bad day. So hopefully I can go up and wait. When do you know when you have a good day or a bad day? If I go over 0.7 seconds. Physio gave me some exercises, so we're just gonna listen to the boss and do his exercises. But it's only a short program, because then he knows I'm pretty motivated to do the gym, because when you have a program of one hour, one hour and a half, it's not nice. You spend so much time in the gym, so a short heavy program is the best I feel like. So my average was actually, I got a bit too much on the 0.7. It's actually a good sign. Maybe it's because it was warmer. Well, we have to ride at 66, but now there's 63 on it, so I have to change anyway. So I'm gonna ride. Are you on your own? Yeah, yeah. We just have to fix our own bikes, but that's good. That's how you learn it, I would say, even though I still can't work with my bike. How often do you change your bike? Changing my bike? Twice a week. Well, if I'm lucky, it's still the right thing from the week before. Now I have to change everything, so I'm not lucky. So then I have to move. I hope my chain is on the right size, otherwise I have to ask the mechanic. That's not going to fit at all. Now I'm gonna make my isotonic. I hope there is enough forest fruit, otherwise I will have to... There is enough. It's my favorite from the national team, so I'm gonna make bottles. It's ready. Let's see on training, hopefully it is good. But the mechanic did it, so then it's good. Luckily I didn't do it. I think it's gonna be just standing efforts, short ones, just big gear, and then maybe some teepee stuff, I hope. Some longer stuff. So it's always all the hairs. It's so annoying too. Thinking about like that, you know, we really need to get our start really cranky, and we're starting to get there. I think we're making sure that our top end power, so starting power... So we're gonna do four starting efforts now, then we gear up, and then the big work. What's the big work? Well actually I don't know, but I think we're gonna do some longer standing efforts. Oh no, he said seated strength, so I think in the handlebars a seated 500 or 1k. It's hard, but it's actually a really nice effort. I like it. With the starts, the one who has a faster start at the end is the national champ of the day. So we have a little boost, and like we can give each other some motivation to go harder. But I think it's a silver one again, always a silver one. You are the silver knight. Silver. And who's third for the girl? Bronze medalist. She's more happier than you. Yeah, like for sure I have the podium. Yeah, for me the goal is to once beat Marit. Once, yeah. So we do one final effort. If we were motivated we could do another one, but I think there's only one person motivated, not me. We're doing a one and a half k tp. Finished for today. And so wraps with chicken, vegetables, some guacamole and salad. Because tonight we're going to eat some carbs with some good pasta that mom is going to make for us. Well, sometimes I do, but like for our family, like five, and if the boyfriends or girlfriends are here, then it's not nice cooking for like seven or eight people. So then I don't like it. But if it's just for two or three, it's actually pretty okay. I'm now into making desserts. I don't have something at home now that I made, but now tiramisu. So good. But without like the alcohol they put in, I actually don't like it that much. Well, I should have done the base first, a bit of guacamole. There's a lot of protein on the wraps today. Mango for the sweet. And then I just love salad. Yeah, we're gonna pick up my mom from school and maybe stop for a coffee after. We have to look for parking. Well, in this one, not that often because you know, it's really tiny. So it's actually always, there are always people in here. So it's too busy sometimes, but it's close by my mom's school. So we can better just stop by and have a good coffee. All these cameras here. Yeah, crazy, right? Now I know when I can go back and can't. Add you on the game. I'm always gonna be on iPad now. Yeah, but I can't add any more people. Cricket? What's cricket? I only know like 301 or 501. Cricket is you have to get every number above 14. So three times 15, you have to have it three times. So three times 15, three times 16, three times 17, three times 18, 19, 20. And then the bull three times. What do y'all usually play? Cricket. Right? Or you want to play? It's a nice game. Okay. And y'all are good at this? Have an office now? Okay, why are you waiting then? No, because normally I play with these. Why? Are you scared? Yeah, because y'all be waiting. You get these. Dinner is ready. I didn't make it. The chef cook made it. Mommy. It's the best food. Mom's food. She made pasta, carbs, and her best dish. Pasta, broccoli, cheese. Are you filming how much scoops I'm taking? Because I always love to take as much as possible. So guys, this was my day in a life. I'm just gonna chill, watch TV, and then go to bed early because it was a long day. I hope you enjoyed it. Don't forget to give them a like and a subscribe.