Bad luck continues to haunt Denise Betsema: “I’m already thinking about next season”

Interview Denise Betsema received another boost after a difficult Christmas period. She finished sixth in the sand of Koksijde last week. A result that would normally not make her happy, but in the context of her current season it is quite good. Betsema has an unlucky season, she says CyclingFlits.

The misery for Betsema actually started before the cross season, with a training accident in mid-August. “Since then I don’t feel like myself anymore. That accident was far too close to the start of the season to get up to standard. I couldn’t walk for a month. And I didn’t reach my best level after that. I think everyone sees that I am less than last season.”

And that is not solely the fault of that accident in question. “I have been dealing with an ear infection and a cold since mid-December. And my knee still hurts every time I cross. We’ll have to look at that soon, because I don’t think it’s okay. It is not easy for the team doctors either, because I live on an island. This way I am some distance away from them.”

Long road to top level
All bad luck starts to weigh on Betsema. The 30-year-old rider has always been good for victories in some classification races in recent years. “A sixth place like in Koksijde is a boost, but I mainly get mixed feelings about it. I somewhat underestimated the recovery after my accident. It is a difficult period and I must say that it is difficult for me. Because I need the UCI points, I am obliged to keep racing. That is not optimal for recovery.”

For the final weeks of the season, Betsema understands that it will not be easy to reach the top level. “Actually, it’s mainly about getting through the next few weeks and already looking towards next winter. It is nice that I am still in a reasonable position in the X2O Trophy rankings. That’s another thing to focus on. But other than that, it’s mainly a matter of trying to figure out how to get back to my old self.”

Betsema, together with Leonie Bentveld, has to carry the women’s team of Pauwels-Sauzen-Bingoal, but – despite the fact that she was only on the podium in Oisterwijk and on the Koppenberg – she feels little pressure from her entourage. “No, I don’t try to experience it that way. Of course it’s good for the team if I’m at the front again more often. But they also have the confidence that things will turn out well again. Every rider has his or her period when things slow down. I always cycled very consistently, it is a downer that this is not the case now.”

New Generation
The Texel will then have to compete against a completely new generation. Dutch champion Puck Pieterse and world champion Fem van Empel – two very young ladies – are the new benchmark in women’s cross, but is Betsema up to it? For the time being, only Lucinda Brand of her generation is still competing for the prizes.

“Definitely!”, Betsema, who will be in action this weekend in the National Championships in Hoogeveen, immediately replies. “I am convinced that once I get back in shape and have had the right preparation, I can get back to my old self. Then I should also be able to play at the front again, as Lucinda does so well. But now it is just very difficult.”