Name – Demi de Jong
Date of Birth – 11th February 1995
Nationality – Dutch
2019 Team – Lotto Soudal Ladies
Former Teams – ParkHotel Valkenburg, Boels-Dolmans
Career Achievements –
3rd Le Samyn des Dames (2019), Rabobank 7-Dorpenomloop Aalburg (2017), Junior World Championship TT (2012)
5th Gooik-Geraardsbergen-Gooik (2018), Le Samyn des Dames (2016), Trofee Maarten Wynants (2016)
6th Dwars door de Westhoek (2016), Erondegemse Pijl (Erpe-Mere) (2016)
Who taught you how to ride a bike & how old were you?
Well my dad always rode his bike, just for fun. Than my sister started and when I watched the races I thought: oohh!! Cool I also want to do that! So then I started. My first race was in my home area that moment and I was scared because I had to race 40km!! I only did 30 in the weekends. But I managed to get 3rd, good start. I was 16.
What was your first ‘proper’ road bike & what colour was it?
My first bike was a Merida, colour anthracite.
What’s the most important piece of kit/advice that has helped boost your performance?
I don’t have a most important piece of kit that made me extra motivated but I think a new pair of shoes or glasses is always nice.
What’s your favourite routes/places to ride?
I think I don’t have a favourite place. And haven’t been to too many different places. But sometimes it’s nice to just be in another country or region to explore the country and new places. That motivates me to train more or better than when at home.
What tips do you have to keep the love of cycling going amidst all the training?
I am not a training beast and I get bored doing only training and resting. I spent 4 years studying full-time and rode the bike only when I had time. Last year I worked two 2 days a week and started a home study: sports nutrition.
Now I’ve quit work but I am bored at home. Even more now because I have an injury. It started last year but thought it was better. It came back a month ago though, so I’m out of business at the moment. Starting to do training slowly and will start racing when I am 100% pain-free. I wasn’t pain-free when I started the season but the races went better than expected though.
What experiences are still to do on your cycling ‘bucket list’?
I still want to do some races I haven’t don’t yet, such as Women’s Tour, Sweden and maybe some more.
I hope to be pain-free as quickly as possible and do proper training again. For this season I don’t have any goals anymore because I don’t want to give myself the pressure to have a good result and maybe screw it up again with the knee injury. If everything is good again I will be ready for 2020.
