Stay Home Story with Pascal Eenkhoorn

How are you?
It’s going well with me, my girlfriend and our loved ones. We are healthy and that is the most important thing. However, we must ensure that we don’t get ourselves into a kind of rut by continuing to do the same thing day in, day out. Especially because this situation will not be resolved overnight. That is a pity, of course, but you also can’t change that anymore. In any case, we will keep ourselves busy. Furthermore, I keep doing my training, we follow the guidelines and we don’t do any crazy things.

What do your workouts and training look like at the moment?
The focus in my training is mainly on maintaining my fitness level. I try to do my training outside as much as possible according to the government guidelines. I follow my training schedule that I have made in consultation with my trainer. I try to ride my bike at least fifteen to sixteen hours a week. Sprint training, endurance training and VO2max are the three aspects that return weekly in my training. The rest of my training I’ll do as I see fit. It gives me more satisfaction when I have variation in my training as well. I also participate in social rides and e-races on the Tacx, such as the team’s e-races and the Team Jumbo-Visma social rides. It’s nice to keep in touch with your teammates. But I try to ride outside as much as possible. Especially with the beautiful weather we have had in the past weeks. In the end, that is still the most beautiful thing to do.

How do you get on with your days?
We actually do a little bit of everything. Besides my training, I mainly play a lot of Fortnite. We also watch a lot of series and TV. I am also helping a lot more in the household and we are doing more jobs in and around the house. We also just bought an apartment, but we can’t move in yet as they are still building it. So, we can’t do much in there right now. I mainly do things for which I normally don’t have the time as a top athlete. It is a matter of keeping yourself busy.

How do you motivate yourself?
I have no problem in motivating myself. Although we can’t race, I just really enjoy riding my bike in general. Like my colleagues, I have been able to turn my hobby into my profession. It’s a matter of keeping fit and trying to maintain my fitness level as much as possible for what may come next. But I don’t look too far ahead either. I am mainly focusing on the now. In my training I am constantly looking for new paths, roads and other routes. When we have reached a point where it is possible to race again, I will switch the flip and will increase the intensity and focus in my training. But for now, I’ll just keep riding my bike.

Which series or movies are you watching at the moment?
I have to confess that my girlfriend Manon and I watch few films. We do watch a lot of Netflix series or just watch regular TV though. Lately we’ve been mostly watching The Blacklist, La Casa de Papel, Toy Boy and Ozark. It is actually a mix of action and especially a lot of drama. Apart from Toy Boy, the other series consist of quite some seasons, so there is still a lot to be watched. On TV we mainly watch ‘Boer zoekt Vrouw’, the Dragon’s Den and ‘Zondag met Lubach’.

Which songs do you play on your playlist by default?
I regularly listen to Dutch Top 40 music. Just the music which is hot right now. I am a frequent listener of Radio 538. They mainly play a lot of pop, dance, rock and R&B music. I also like to listen to cycling podcasts. In particular those of Laurens ten Dam, the Rode Lantaarn and the newspaper Algemeen Dagblad.

Do you have any tips for people to stay fit?
Make sure that you do something that you enjoy and that you feel most comfortable with. Try to structure your program and do your workout at fixed times. Go for an hour in the morning and then an hour in the afternoon. Focus is very important. You can try anything from riding your bike, walking, the Tacx, Zwift to yoga, power training and things like that. You can find videos that can help you through the team’s website or through our YouTube channel. Of course, you always decide which workouts suit you best.

What is your favourite dish?
I eat quite varied and healthy. My favourite for breakfast is oatmeal with porridge or an egg sandwich with sandwich toppings. I also love salads and I especially recommend the carpaccio salad. I always try to pay attention to the amount of food I am eating, and I certainly try not to eat more than necessary. I also like eating wraps, pasta, risotto and homemade pizza.

What other sports do you like?
I actually hardly watch any other sports. Only during the World Championships Darts or during the Olympic Games, the World or European Football Championship and those kinds of big tournaments I like to watch some TV if I have the time. Also, the Champions League when Ajax is playing or when there is another beautiful game on the program. But I don’t stay home for it. However, I do watch the sports journal for the latest news. With cycling, that is different. If I don’t have to race myself, I often stay at home to watch the final.

What is your favourite game?
I actually play both video games and board games. Regarding video games, mainly Fortnite. But I also regularly play FIFA, especially at training camp with the team. Then we are quite fanatical about it. Mike Teunissen is really good at this and almost unbeatable. I’m more on Dylan’s level. At training camp, we often organize a tournament together with the staff and also the development team. Those guys are really good. Also, someone like Merijn Zeeman is getting better at it. In the end, you don’t want to be the loser of the team in this matter. So, some of them really do play it a lot more to be better at it next time. In terms of board games, Manon and I play Monopoly, Penoza and Risk.

Which apps on your phone are running in overtime?
Like many others, I also regularly check social media apps such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Instagram is especially popular with me, although I have to admit that Manon manages my account. I also listen a lot to Radio 538 and I often check the Algemeen Dagblad app for the latest news or to listen to their podcasts.

What is your guilty pleasure?
That is a difficult question, but if I had to, I would choose the chocolate eggs from the Jumbo supermarket. The eggs that we recently received from the team for Easter were very delicious. I also like different kinds of sweets and I drink alcohol-free ginger beer from Jumbo. That is also really good.