After recovering from his exhilarating endeavour at the Singapore T100, which saw him solo off the front on the bike and never look back, Youri Keulen shared his thoughts on the race.
Speaking with the PTO after coming out of hospital, Keulen said that he doesn’t feel pressure, and despite now leading the T100 Tour, will strive to continue racing the way he likes.
The Dutchman also revealed which race he is looking forward to the most, as the wildcard wonder looks set to continue tearing up the race course and challenge for the overall title.
“I want to race for the win”
Now leading the T100 Triathlon World Tour after fourth in Miami and his win in Singapore, Keulen weighed up the dilemma of racing conservatively to protect his ranking later in the season.
“If I race, I want to race for the win and it’s all or nothing, but maybe in the end phase of the series I will play it more safe if I’m leading the series, but on the other hand there is so much fun in just going balls to the wall.
“It’s so much more beautiful in my eyes and it shows much more character to just f****** go for it.”
Despite his carefree attitude, Keulen does respect the fact that things could have gone differently in Singapore, and that there is a fine line between taking risks and racing smart.
“There are so many factors in that three and a half hours that we are racing, that can play in your favour or not in your favour, that it’s true that sometimes it would be too risky to gamble.”
Dealing with pressure and dialling in on London
After being given a wildcard to the Miami T100 and exceeding expectations with a fourth place finish, Keulen had a target on his back in Singapore, but said that it didn’t change the way he felt coming into the race.
“I don’t really feel pressure. I came into this race as #3 on the start list, but I didn’t feel any pressure. I was like, we are just going to have a fun day with 19 lads in Singapore, so just go with it.
“It is about going with how you feel and going with your instincts. Of course it will be more difficult now to win a race like I did yesterday, but it’s an amazing time to be alive and an amazing time to be a pro triathlete at the moment, so I have to enjoy it.”
Looking ahead to the rest of the season, the Dutchman said that the London T100 was the race that stood out for him, as he will have the chance to race in front of his team. In the British capital, he says, ignoring the hype will be key to performing at his best.
“I am so looking forward to racing the London T100, because all my family will be there, my sponsors and my management and I just think, wouldn’t it be horrible to not enjoy all of that because I put too much pressure on myself, I try to just enjoy the moment as much as I can.”
