I’m a fan of Dutch cyclist Puck Pieterse.  She’s your basic nice person … and she loves life.  Puck is famous for her YouTube videos, where she straps a camera to her chest and takes us for a ride.

For decades, my version of watching sports on TV has been to glom on to my favourite player and cheer like crazy.  I did that in the Olympics and I’m doing it in the Tour de France Femmes – with Puck. 

Of course there are heroic exploits in any sport, no matter the runner, tennis player, rider …  The moments that take my breath away: such as a world record run in the 800 metres by Keely Hodgkinson, a winning lob over the opponent’s head by Ons Jabeur, landing just inside the baseline.  And Puck outsprinting Demi Vollering by a third of a wheel in the Tour’s fourth stage.

But I’m still stuck in hero worship, and it’s not a bad thing.

Yesterday was the fifth stage.  Demi and Puck came down in a crash with 6 k to go.  Lots of blood.  Neither finished high in the day’s standings.  It was what happened after the finish line that moved me.

Demi was warming down on her stationary bike, in pain.  Puck came over and gave her a real hug.  Fierce competitors … and sisters.

Before the podium ceremony, Puck also hugged stage winner Blanka Vas, accompanied by a huge smile.  Blanka and Demi ride for a different team than Puck.  No matter.  There is love.

Sure, I love watching Puck giving her all on the climbs.  Even more, I love watching her humanity.  Including her humour:

Now I have some nice extra red things to add to my polka dot jersey

[This jersey belongs to the woman who has done the best on the climbs]

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Puck inspires me

And so it follows …

May we all inspire each other