It's a bright and sunny Thursday afternoon in Tři Studně. The birds are singing in the trees that dominate this region of the Czech Republic adding to the serene and idyllic environment. Usually a sleepier-than-sleepy-hollow, the tiny hamlet is bursting with life in the last week of May. The reason? Pro mountain biking has come to nearby Nové Město na Moravě in the form of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, and Tři Studně is playing host to several riders and teams.
With three days to go until race day, every single detail needs to be covered. Nutrition, equipment, registration and so on predominate, as does training and rest. And looking after oneself. In the lush garden of a local hotel, two young Dutch riders are doing an impromptu core stability workout.
'It's so good to be here,' says Lotte Koopmans whilst stretching her glute medius. 'Albstadt last week was tough in the wet and muddy conditions but fortunately the weather looks good for us this Sunday.'
Lotte is an interesting and multi-talented person. 'She would excel at many sports,' says workout partner and good friend Anne Tauber balancing from a tightrope on one leg. A top mountain biker, Lotte juggles training and competing at the highest level with her medical studies. Not that this is limited to keeping her nose in the textbooks when not riding. You see, the Dutch rider is currently immersed in her practical studies, meaning that she works long hours as a trainee doctor in a hospital back in the flatlands of the Netherlands. While paediatrics are her passion and intended speciality, she works across the broad spectrum of medicine and in all hospital wards. She even spent an extended period working at Tygerberg Hospital's ER in South Africa, possibly one of the toughest training grounds for any medical student. Which brings us back to Lotte the racing cyclist.
Much is made of the factory racing teams and the buzz that surrounds them. And rightly so. But there is another side to the sport, almost a subculture if you like, that is both self-funded and self-directed. These are the riders without pro contracts, the privateers who eke out a living in jobs to supplement their desire to compete at the highest level. Lotte doesn't just fall into this category, she epitomises it. Not it seems to bother her in the slightest - she actually embraces it.
'I like my lifestyle,' said Lotte in the aftermath of the attritive Nové Město event. 'I think it suits me to have a balance between work and sport. Sometimes it's bit more work, other times a bit more sport. The last few weeks have been sport-focussed. But I'll be back at work soon and figuring out whether I'll be able to compete in any further World Cups this season.'
