What was the different between Japanese Keirin and International Keirin? Did you struggle with anything when you were competing in Japanese Keirin?

There are differences between Girls Keirin and UCI keirin in the number of girls competing per race, lockdown and the way of racing. There’s a lot more rules to stick to in Japanese Keirin for example: No pushing, starting from the gates, being able to choose your spot behind the pacer,…

I think for the first race, lockdown was my biggest challenge. 4days no contact with the outside, something new. Although it was a big challenge, I really enjoyed it for the 5 races I did. I enjoyed the calm environment of not having a phone and used those 4days only to focus on racing, resting and relaxing, to get to know Japanese keirin and it’s culture.

You are training in the W.C.C. How did you get here?

2 years ago in April, the Belgian Cycling federation and I made the decision to keep growing and progressing somewhere else, the world cycling centre was the place to do so. In the time training here I have grown to win several medals.

How’s your life in Aigle, Switzerland so far?

I have been here before for about one year and a half so I know Aigle. It’s a perfect situation for me as I can completely focus on training and resting. It can be a lonely place at times but I really enjoy being in the Swiss mountains. I keep busy with training and visiting new places around the city. On days off I often go for a coffee in the mountains.

This season’s Racing schedules