Talent Cycling is all about training. Young talents are being groomed for the next step in their cycling career. This applies not only to athletes, but also to supervisors. This time it is trainer Stefan van Klink who has taken an important new step.
In November 2013 Stefan van Klink started as a trainer for the first time with the Elite ladies of what was then SwaboLadies.nl, the forerunner of Talent Cycling. Since then he has always remained an important part of Talent Cycling, making 2021 his eighth season for the team.
“I’ve learned a lot in all these years,” van Klink says. “I have become a better coach, but also as a scout and team manager I have been able to learn many new things. That urge to get better was in there from the beginning. From the first year I had the dream of becoming the best and I felt that Talent Cycling could be an important part of the development there.”
After eight years of coaching for Talent Cycling, van Klink was given a new opportunity for the TalentNED cycling team, led by former top skating coach Gerard Kemkers. “This season my work mainly focuses on setting up the new team. This gives me the space to leave my work at Talent Cycling in good hands and to employ new people.”
“That transition period was important to me,” Stefan continues. “I am very happy with this new opportunity, but I will certainly not forget that Talent Cycling has helped me this far. That’s why I want to leave the team in a good way, so that they can build on what I have been working on over the years.”
General Manager Hans Blom is also proud of stefan van Klink’s move. “At the time, Gerard Kemkers called me to see if he could approach Stefan for the position of trainer within TalentNED. Of course I have given permission for this, because for a young trainer it is important to also gain experience with other organizations. In addition, Gerard (Kemkers) has a huge amount of experience in coaching athletes at the highest level and Stefan can learn a lot from that. After eight seasons, it is also important to develop further by looking at other organizations. Furthermore, I am extremely satisfied with how Van Klink left it behind, because with three new trainers we are going to take another step in developing our training program, where we are not just looking at the physical aspects.”, says General Manager Blom