Episode #14

Hello, my name is Daniel Abraham Gebru, reigning Paralympic cycling champion for the Netherlands, but my roots are in Eritrea. Currently, I am mentoring young refugees in the Netherlands and trying to inspire them by showing them how sports can help them integrate in the Netherlands. In addition, I am working hard towards my goal of successfully defending my Olympic title later this year. I am happy to share my experiences, highs and lows with you on the road to Tokyo 2021!

The Olympics have started! At the moment I am on training camp in the Sierra Nevada for the latest preparations for Tokyo 2021. It' s hot here, very hot! Temperatures of over 38 degrees give me the opportunity to imitate the conditions of Tokyo. Although the humidity is a little higher there, these are important days to get used to the heat. I therefore mainly do the block training and high intensity training. The roads here are fantastic, by the way.

I will be here at altitude until 5 August, after which I will fly straight on to Portugal. There are two more weeks of specific track training on the programme. The 4km pursuit on the track on 24 August is my first goal in Tokyo. I will also try to pick up taping and do quiet endurance races.

I have followed the games a little bit so far. I watched the road race and the time trials and that was very inspiring. Moreover, I can already see how the top riders deal with the circumstances and learn from that. Hydration will be very important. During the training sessions here in the Sierra Nevada, I wear the brand new FUTURUM Merino socks. Not only a feast for the eyes, but also a feast for my feet, because they remain very comfortable and cool despite the enormous heat! Ideal. Time to put the finishing touches to prolonging my Olympic title.

See you soon, Daniel

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