Rider diary with…Esmée Peperkamp

Hey guys!

It seems strange to write about my off season now, but it has also shaped my preparations period in a different way. After I broke my collarbone at the end of last season, I could only train on the rollers while hanging in some kind of self-made construction for six weeks. After that, I was then really happy to go outside but it took some time before I felt confident again on the bike. Due to the crash, I lost quite some strength in my left arm, but that slowly started to come back with some time. I went to Tenerife to train for two weeks and it felt quite nice to train in the sun and get some good training hours in, whilst building a bit of confidence in the descents.

At beginning of December, we had our first team camp ahead of the new season where we came together with the new group for the first time. We had a really nice time there and you could really feel that everybody had the same mindset and goals. Even if someone was (naturally) a bit shy at the beginning, it went away quite quickly, so we had a really nice time there together! The goal of the first camp is always to get to know the new group and to get some good training hours in. Both worked out quite well, so it was a good kick-off for 2023 after a rocky end to 2022!

Between the turn of the year I had surgery for the second time on my collarbone and couldn’t really train the week after. I was a bit nervous ahead o January camp, but the tests and the training rides went pretty well, which meant I could enjoy riding in the sun and make more steps towards the new season. All of that combined gave me back a lot of confidence to get back racing again!

Back home I started my last training block, with some hard training and efforts, which can sometimes be challenging on the flat roads in the Netherlands. It is always easier to do your efforts on climbs, so that was my biggest challenge, but it was a good block where I could also integrate a little bit of heat training – and then I was ready for racing!

I started my season with the team at the first edition of the UAE Tour for women. It was nice to have good weather and good, wide roads for the first race of the year, but it was also really nervous in the bunch. This nervousness also caused the crashes in the finale of the opening stage, but Franzi did a really nice job for Charlotte who then sprinted to victory. That gave us a lot of confidence for the rest of the race because it showed that we were the strongest team and could finish it off, even when things didn’t go completely perfectly!

Echelons made for some nervous racing again on stage two and after my crash last year, I was still a bit anxious riding in the peloton so it was quite a stressful day for me, but it was also a day where I could learn a lot and was a good experience for my development. I hopefully won’t be surprised by echelons again!

When the group split the next day I was already better positioned. The girls did a strong job protecting me and creating the splits which meant I could come into the last climb in a good position. It was the first time I was riding a finale not in support of one of my teammates, which was a great experience. On the climb itself, I tried to test my limit to learn where that is for the future. I tried to follow the two girls from Trek as long as possible but couldn’t hold their pace at one point. I then tried to pace myself in the group behind and brought home a nice fourth place, which I am really proud of.

What I can take out of the UAE Tour is that we were maybe the strongest team! We gave everything for each other there and could show the others that we are strong and ready for the season. For the rest of the year, I want to further grow as a rider and learn a little bit in every race or finale that I am riding. As long as I don’t repeat the same mistakes, I will learn and grow towards the day when I will win. I‘m also looking forward to the races where I support Juliette and hopefully have some nice races together!

See you out on the road!