For the Dutch cross-country specialist Anne Terpstra, the sporting career has not always been straightforward. At the age of 12, the now 29-year-old started mountain biking and shortly after that she completed her first race. Ups and downs followed, but last year she definitely arrived at the top of the world. The 5th place in Albstadt made it onto the World Cup podium for the first time. The story of an MTB career that is coming together like a jigsaw puzzle.
How it all began
Anne Terpstra was born in 1991 in Zierikzee in the Netherlands. “It all started with her brother Rien. He didn't feel like running,” is Wiebe Terpstra's answer to the question of how her daughter Anne got into mountain biking. She would have been jealous of her brother's newly discovered hobby and therefore also wanted a bike. Only a few weeks later she is already at the start of her first race.
The new home of the Terpstra family in Apeldoorn plays a central role in the lives of the two children. Anne Terpstra's mother looks back: "When the children started racing, it became a kind of lifestyle for us." The races bring the family even closer together. The siblings share a passion for biking and spend a lot of time together. The brother says: “We went biking together and raced together. Basically we did everything together.” When Rien Terpstra turns 21, he quits racing and joins the military. Unlike his sister who continues to race. In her first World Cup race, the young Dutchwoman crosses the finish line 45 minutes after the winner.
Lots of puzzle pieces that are slowly coming together
In 2016, four years after becoming a professional athlete, Anne Terpstra joins the Ghost Factory Racing Team. This was never planned for the Dutchwoman: "I didn't start biking to become a professional athlete and to do nothing else in my life. I just like cycling. I used to be with my brother all the time. And when I came to Ghost everyone thought I was crazy because at first I only talked about my brother. I used to call him every time I went to a race and talk to him about the track. He then gave me tips on how to take this or that drop. Today I'm just totally happy when he comes to a race. I know he's very proud of me and that's nice."
The contract with the Ghost Factory Racing Team is one of many pieces of the puzzle that are slowly coming together in one's career. The team is like a second family to them, especially after Anne Terpstra and Tom Wickles fall in love. She can share her passion for biking with Tom, just like she did with her brother Rien. Her passion for cycling has brought her to where she is today. Her decision to drop out of medical school after her bachelor's degree and become a professional cyclist was not based on her will to win. It was simply the passion for biking. A passion that is of course even stronger when you can share it with loved ones.
Anne Terpstra: "If I've done everything right and given everything, the result is fine, no matter what it is"
In 2019, Albstadt made it onto the World Cup podium for the first time with 5th place. In Andorra she shows the world how strong she has become: as she moves away from Jolanda Neff, she drives to an unchallenged victory. For Anne Terpstra, who has recovered from major injuries and is coming back stronger than ever, another piece of the puzzle comes into play: this win has drastically changed her mindset, her approach.
“I just needed to win to learn and take the next step. The attitude you start with is super important. I can finally be happy with any other result now. Because I know that if I've done everything right and given everything, the result will be okay, no matter what it turns out to be. That changed my perspective. It's almost like I've finally unloaded a big, heavy backpack. What remains is the fun of biking. I can fully enjoy it again. And that's it. That makes me happy."
