He started with BMX …
Before donning a tight suit and a contoured helmet, Harrie Lavreysen made a name for herself in BMX. Sacred European junior champion three times between 2011 and 2013, the Dutchman is predicted to have a great future in this sport but suffers the law of injuries. Practicing a discipline marked by falls, he oscillates between ups and downs, over the course of his trips to the hospital. But in 2014, Lavreysen reached a point of no return. ” I was back to my best level, I was doing great, but I dislocated both shoulders. “On the advice of the doctors, he then began a radical change of discipline, and chose to train on the track of Papendal, in the center of the country. ” It was very strange to go from pro BMX to amateur track. I didn’t know what I was doing, and I felt ridiculous », He confessed later in a discussion with his trainer.
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… before dominating the track
The change of lane quickly paid off since in 2015, Harrie Lavreysen was titled at the national team sprint championships. The first international gold arrives three years later, opening the doors to unchallenged domination in the disciplines of explosiveness. Holding the world team speed title since 2018, he has also distinguished himself individually, in speed (2019, 2020, 2021) and on the keirin (2020, 2021). For his first Olympic Games, in Tokyo, the Dutchman came close to a new hat-trick, simply failing on the keirin (bronze), surprised by Jason Kenny.
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Opposed on the track, Harrie Lavreysen (left) and Jeffrey Hoogland (right) are teammates and lifelong friends. (E. Garnier / The Team)
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Lavreysen-Hoogland, healthy rivalry
In each competition, the same situation arises. Team speed team mates Jeffrey Hoogland and Harrie Lavreysen are fighting a fierce battle when it comes to the individual events. And if at the finish, one of the two is not first, there is a good chance that the other has gold around his neck. As in Roubaix, where Lavreysen, winner of the keirin-speed double, was assisted each time by his elder brother. But this rivalry is not unhealthy. The two Dutch people always share the same hotel room before big competitions, enjoy each other, watch movies together, and pull each other up. ” I train with the best in the world. I think every runner has something to be jealous of “, Hoogland had explained before Tokyo.
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A hard worker
When Lavreysen isn’t on a bike, he’s in the weight room, and vice versa. Dedicated to the track, the nine-time world champion is in a perpetual quest for power, whatever his situation. In 2015, injured, he sent a very evocative message to his physical trainer, Christian Bosse: “ I had the operation yesterday, I will be leaving the hospital tomorrow, and I want to train within two days. I can’t use my arms, but can you make me a program? In addition to the physical sessions, Harrie Lavreysen spends long hours in front of the screen, analyzing her performance and those of her future opponents. ” I also like to learn about the peculiarities of the track on which I will be running. I prepare a lot of things before I go somewhere. »
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