Weersma blames himself for disappointing World Championships in Stockholm

Hidde Weersma had a bad day at the World Championships in Stockholm. In a detailed Instagram post, the Dutchman writes that he felt unusually weak from the very first station and never found his rhythm on the most important race day of the year.

Weersma does not put the disappointing result down to bad luck. He says he tried to do too much at once in the build-up to the championship: more volume, more intensity, heat training, and losing weight at the same time. That is precisely the kind of approach he normally stresses others to avoid: focus on one thing at a time.

The day after the solo race, he lined up alongside Thierry Raoul in the doubles race. Not fully recovered, but already feeling considerably better than the day before. The duo raced aggressively but lost too much time at the stations where they have struggled before. Despite that, Weersma looks back on the doubles race with a positive feeling.

Notwithstanding the double disappointment in Stockholm, Weersma describes the season as a whole as better than he would have dared to hope a few years ago. His full recap can be found on his Instagram page (@hidde.w).