For Tessa Neefjes from Wervershoof, every gold medal now shines even more

The flag and balloons at the parental home betray the special achievement of Tessa. She proudly shows her medal and matching sweater. But the all-rounder on two wheels doesn’t have much to enjoy from this success, because the next hurdle awaits in just under two weeks: the first World Championship gravel biking, in Italy.

Gravel biking is an emerging cycling discipline, which has come over from America. It is a mix of cycling, cyclo-cross and mountain biking. Ideal for Nephews, who prefer riding on unpaved surfaces. “All my favorite disciplines come back to gravel biking. One time you get covered in dust, the next you ride in a big mud puddle because of the weather.”

Outdoor category

Although she has won three World Cups in recent months, she doesn’t necessarily see herself as a favorite. “Because quite a few toppers appear at the start. A few girls from the United States, for example and Marianne Vos. I see her as an exceptional category. But of course I go for the maximum achievable.”

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Talking about her chances of a world championship, a table strewn with gold medals. Life looked very different for Tessa for a long time, after a serious accident some six years ago. During a training session in the Ardennes it all went wrong. “A truck came on my side of the road. I broke my back and broke a total of 16 bones.”

Could she ever walk again? Did she end up in a wheelchair? “At first I couldn’t move my leg…”, she says. Tessa lay flat on the couch for four months. “I remember that I was allowed to walk around the table. That was a lot. I really had to start from scratch again. The recovery took a long time, because I continued to suffer from my back for a long time. But I always kept going and that attitude has helped. But I didn’t expect that I can cycle like this again.”

‘bitter’

She still regularly trains with the men of cycling association West-Frisia from Enkhuizen, where she developed considerably under the wings of cyclist Tino Haakman. De Enkhuizer is her trainer and knows the Wervershoofse like no other. “She is a go-getter. One who always perseveres. ‘Normal’ people had stopped after her accident, but she hadn’t. She has come back stronger, more powerful and more motivated than ever,” said Haakman. “I think it’s really great what she’s doing now.”

Whether gravel biking or mountain biking, she has been stringing together victories lately. “Before I always looked ahead. I didn’t really enjoy it. Now I pinch myself sometimes: ‘Is this real?’ I think extra about it. Every gold medal now gives even more shine.”