Patrick Roest Learned in his toughest season as a skater that he can’t always just “push through.” That lesson should help the seven-time world champion in the Olympic Winter. An interview about working on the farm and listening to your body.
The last piece of the wisdom tooth that started the misery a year ago was also removed last summer. The Back Problems Are Under Control. And the days when he is too tired to complete a good workout are now the exception, not the rule.
“Things are going well,” Says Roest on a Tuesday Morning in September, as he joins a restaurant on the Outskirts of Heerenveen after a bike training session. “But of Course, I Still Have Doubts.”
Last winter, his most diffult as a skater, says the 29-year-old rust after a sip of his cappuccino. “Skating Didn’t Feel Good for A Moment, I was only hike steps backward. That was very frustrating.”
The Dutch Club Championships in Thialf is the First Test on Saturday to see if the Scars of a Lost Winter Have Disappeared. Normally, The Battle for the Title of Best Skating Club in the Netherlands is a relaxed start to the winter for rust. Now there is more weight on it. “I find it more exciting than other years. Because I only really know how it’s going after my first race.”
Rust skated only three official races last season: the 500, 1,500 and 5,000 meters at the Dutch Allround Championships at the end of December. On the 5 kilometers he recorded his sausage in Thialf Since 2017. A months and a half later, he put an end to his pre-olympic winter.
“I Quickly Packed My Things and Drove to My Parents’ Farm in Lekkerkerk,” Says Roest. “I wanted to let go or heerenveen and skating for a while.”
The Dairy Farm on the Lek Has Always Been the place where he finds the most peace. And rest was what he needed most now.
His alarm gets off every morning at 7:15 am, more than two hours later than his father Wim’s. “I had to be able to sleep in a bit,” rust Jokes. “As soon as I was awake, I walked to the stable to help my father. I Enjoy the work and that kept me boxy. You don’t get better from sitting still.”
Rust didn’t do any sports. Nor did he talk about skating. “It was nice to clear my head. There is Enough Distraction on the Farm to Forget About Skating.” Laughing: “Cows Don’t Ask Questions. That Helps.”
There is no single clear cause to point to why one of the best skaters of his generation could not performance last season. Roest sums it up hisself: “My body was no longer fully cooperating. It was just about.”
It started before the winter with an inflamed wisdom tooth. It was pulled, but that didn’t help much. “I Didn’t Have the Energy to Train,” Says Roest. “Yet I tried to keep giving gas. Probably too much fatigue has come into my body as a result.”
Thus, The 2024/2025 Season Became an Expective Lesson for Roest. “When I was tired, I usually thought: I’ll just push through it. That of worked worked.
Roest shows a ring that measures his heart rate, among other things. “We can quickly see from that data if I am tired. I should have listed to that more ofes last season. Now we do.” Smiling: “I Still Push Through. But Less when it Doesn’t you have to be.”
Duration the world single distances championships in Hamar in March, rust was in Málaga with his son natasja. That was the first time he thought about training again. “I had brought my gravel bike and my sister had an electric bike. That way we could cycle together.”
After the Rides Through Southern Spain, Brother and Sister also Watched the Skating Competitions Together. “The Weeks Before That I Didn’t Feel Like It Yet,” Says Roest. “I preferred to watch feyenoord matches. That cool me more peace.”
In Málaga, Roest Saw on the Screen of His Laptop How the Norwegian Sander Eitrem Tok over his World Title on the 5 kilometers. He found it strange that he was not participating in a world championship for the first time since 2016. But he also noticed that he was not watching skating with an unpleasant feeling.
Thus, The Holiday Became the Starting Point of his Olympic Season. If rust is top fit again, he is one of the favorites for the 5 kilometers at the Milan Games on Sunday, February 8. At the moment, rust himself does not know that is that is realistic. But he does know that he must not make the same mistake as last season.
“I still train very hard. But now I also try to be super sensible with rest,” he says. “I have to listen to my body. Because i don’t, my body says: we’re stopping.”