This month we asked you on our Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages for questions that you would like to ask Floortje Mackaij. On her way back from the World Championships in Italy, Floortje sat down to answer five of our favourites!
1) What race do you really want to win and why?
I always used to say Ronde van Vlaanderen but now that Paris-Roubaix has a women’s race, it would be really cool to win that. Especially if I was able to win it this year because it’s the first edition and it would be really special. We did a recon of it earlier in the season and I had a really nice feeling on the cobbles, so I’m looking forward to it.
2) What made you start cycling when you were younger? Was it your family?
My dad was also a cyclist so he got me into it. I started in speed skating though and when I was around 14 years old I started to ride my bike more and more, first as training for speed skating. Afterwards I started to do some races and already won some local junior ones, so I fully committed to cycling. I’m really happy that I made the choice because I love riding my bike, it’s a beautiful sport.
3) Any advice on how to become pro?
Do what you enjoy doing; that’s already the first step. Apart from that, make sure you’re doing the best possible training you can do but also focus on your rest and nutrition as they’re also really important in helping you to become better.
4) What’s the best thing about being part of Team Sunweb (apart from the kit!)?
I’ve been in the team since 2013, which is quite a long time and I’m really happy here! It might sound a bit strange but it feels like a home for me. With everyone at the office, our experts and of course my teammates – I feel like I know them all really well, and it feels like a family for me.
5) Who’s your favourite teammate and why?
All of my teammates are really nice but I have one really good teammate who happens to be my best friend and that’s Julia [Soek]. It’s really nice to have your best friend in the same team! We’ve been riding for Team Sunweb together since 2014 so we’ve known each other for a really long time. We also live close together in the Netherlands so we train together but we also spend time with each other off the bike and do other things, which is really nice.