After traveling through Europe in my van, my foot injury slowly started to get better. There was nothing I could do other than staying fit – racing was out of the picture after being out for so long… too bad. I came to terms with it over the months during my #vanlife trip throughout Europe. It was around September when I headed back to my home base in St Augustine Florida. During the summer we had sold our house and so we stayed with the in-laws. Five months later I was divorced and back in Luxembourg.
That’s a pretty quick summary of what happened during the winter. After months of struggling, I decided that the endless search of finding ‘who you are’ and intense spirituality was too extreme for me and so I opted for a normal life. So I took my van and my scrambler on a little trip. After a few weeks of enjoying van life in and around Florida, I decided to head back to Luxembourg. There I started another chapter in my life, and settled in quickly. My friends were so happy and helpful and I knew it was the right decision I made.
In early summer I picked up a bit more training thanks to my foot finally deciding to feel much better. I even did a voluntary (!) training camp in the south of France, and climbed up the legendary Mount Ventoux twice with my cycling buddies ( one of the iconic climbs of the Tour de France in case you don’t know) . My fitness increased quickly, and I realized that training is much more fun when you are in a solid shape. This felt good after my foot has given me serious trouble over the past one and a half years.
Now, being officially retired, all the pressure is gone, and I can just train purely for fun. On many days I don’t even know how long I’m riding or how fast I am running. I just let my heart decide and go with the flow. This is a welcomed change after so many years of chasing the seconds…
Surely it was a bit weird to get settled in Europe by myself, but it didn’t last long time till I really felt at ease and at peace with everything. The beginning of summer offered plenty of opportunities for me and I had to make some serious choices of which direction I am going to head next.
Some of the fun parts were picking up some commentating jobs for major triathlon events. I still love the atmosphere and triathlon has been my life for so long, that I really feel good being in the mix. It is not a job, this is just fun and giving back to the sport that gave me so much over the past years. Obviously I can’t picture myself racing again – but this seems a great way to stay connected to the triathlon family. My drive to thrive for maximum performance has no unfinished business left. Looking back, I won my last race that I competed in, while preparing the ITU World Championships. Of course it’s a pity I couldn’t perform at this planned peak race – but that’s OK. I guess life had a better plan for me.
Being back in Luxembourg during the beautiful summer time, with my laptop on my knees, it seems that I am finding the time to finish what I started. My book. It has been years that I worked on it, and it soon will be finished. I can’t wait to share this with you. This is a book that explains everything in the world of triathlon to help any triathlete to become much better and stronger through making smart choices along the way. It starts from planning, training and even guided step of how to race your peak race. It even provides a sample of how to analyze your progress along the way. This book will guide you from A – Z. You will be inspired and amused by it …
Not much longer till it will be done. So stay tuned!
There are some interesting business opportunities to pursue, and I am in the process of figuring out a smooth transition to maintain my freedom and my thrive to travel while being financially secure for the future. Pretty interesting period right now. I am loving it!
The times are really exciting and stars are aligning for me. I’m loving my new place viewing over the Mosel river which separates Germany and Luxembourg. Once the weather turned towards summer, I started missing my motorcycle – so I decided to buy another cruiser over here. Men & their toys – I know. I’m not into stuff really, but every once in a while I jump on something crazy. Check out my Instagram feed for the latest pictures. She is so pretty (hehe)
While enjoying life I am also working on building two companies and it’s going pretty well. I will soon fill you in with a few more details. My next stop will be commentating at Challenge Roth and teaching triathlon to the kids in the days leading up to this huge event. Remember: 250.000 spectators along the race !!! I can’t wait to be back. This has been a magical place for me where I celebrated one of my biggest career successes. I will never forget the year 2013 when I posted a 7:52h time- and afterwards celebrating this with my closest friends. Only two more weeks till it is time again for triathlon biggest stage.
Hope you guys are all doing well and keep following your heart along this interesting journey that life has in the sleeves for us.
Yours,
Dirk