Westra retires due to depression.

gweeds

A sad read this

https://cyclingtips.com/2017/01/alone-a ... epression/

I hope he finds some peace.

Alex99

Gweeds wrote:

A sad read this

https://cyclingtips.com/2017/01/alone-a ... epression/

I hope he finds some peace.

Best of luck to the guy. Makes me want to give him a hug.

Pross

Must be a very tough life to lead when you have depression, being away from family and friends for large parts of the year and lots of time in your own company training or in hotel rooms.

rick_chasey

viewtopic.php?f=40002&t=13060564&hilit=rumour&start=700#p20040590

gweeds

Seemed worth its own thread but hey ho

rick_chasey

So he's on the avondetappe explaining why he quit.

Basically had bad enough depression he needed medication, but had to stop taking it when he was racing, and took the decision his health was more important.

Pross

Sensible choice really. Was that he had to stop taking it due to rules or because it would have restricted his performance?

rick_chasey

Pross wrote:

Sensible choice really. Was that he had to stop taking it due to rules or because it would have restricted his performance?

Rules.

No_Ta_Doctor

Rick Chasey wrote:

Pross wrote:

Sensible choice really. Was that he had to stop taking it due to rules or because it would have restricted his performance?

Rules.

Safety or PED related? I'm guessing the first, though I have no idea really.

Sensible choice by Westra, good luck to him.

mfin

I'd take a rough guess that there's a possibility that it could have been an SNRI that he was prescribed for anxiety symptoms, as SNRIs can be used to treat pain too, so maybe some of them are banned in competition.

I can't think of an 'as obvious a reason' why typical ubiquitous SSRI based anti-depressants or Tricyclics could be banned, apart from "may cause drowsiness" kind of thing, but that's said about everything nowadays, there's probably even a warning on cornflakes.

knedlicky

On 30 April a (Kindle) book about Westra is being brought out:
Het Beest: Het wielerleven van Lieuwe Westra (The Beast: The racing cyclist life of Lieuwe Westra).



Author is Thomas Sijtsma, the same journalist (and once soigneur) who last summer brought out a book about Koen de Kort (Renner met rede: Wielrennen volgens Koen de Kort - Racer with sense: Cycling according to Koen de Kort).

In an extract from the book on Sijtsma's Twitter, Westra is quoted as saying he thought about retiring for a year before he actually did, and his mother was one of those trying to persuade him to carry on, for the money.

Vino'sGhost

hmmm this is the sort of thing that a tue should be for. Mental health issues are complex, society is only now begining to understand.

Good luck to him

veronese68

Vino'sGhost wrote:

Mental health issues are complex, society is only now begining to understand.
Good luck to him

Very much so, spent two days on a mental health first aid course this week. Barely scratched the surface of course, hugely enlightening and I’d recommend it to anyone.
Looking after himself is undoubtedly the right thing to do, good luck to him as you say.

ddraver

Surely he should be being hounded from the sport now no..?

No?

Just Sky then...?

...kay

rick_chasey

Lotto boys have been pretty punchy in their responses.

Stef Clement in particular.

gweeds

Astana shocked at the news.

The same team winning for fun just as they’re struggling for funds.

Riiiiiiiight.

argyllflyer

Love it that Cycling News manage to get SKy into their piece about LW. I'm surprised they resisted mentioning that Wout Poels once rode for Vacansoleil alongside LW too.

Vino'sGhost

argyllflyer wrote:

Love it that Cycling News manage to get SKy into their piece about LW. I'm surprised they resisted mentioning that Wout Poels once rode for Vacansoleil alongside LW too.

Poor sky its so unfair theyve never done anything to court bad publicity or any indication of ped abuse

tailwindhome

Maybe these topics need a separate thread.

Vino'sGhost

TailWindHome wrote:

Maybe these topics need a separate thread.

Agreed

argyllflyer

Vino'sGhost wrote:

argyllflyer wrote:

Love it that Cycling News manage to get SKy into their piece about LW. I'm surprised they resisted mentioning that Wout Poels once rode for Vacansoleil alongside LW too.

Poor sky its so unfair theyve never done anything to court bad publicity or any indication of ped abuse

The stories aren't connected yet the dots are joined - just in case people forget CF took too much of his ventolin.

blazing_saddles

I see that he is going through the topical tick list.
The latest in English: Tramadol and race fixing.

http://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racin ... eer-378182

He's gone one a step further: a big one, in the Dutch press. Accuses Sagan of buying Roubaix from Dillier.

https://www.indeleiderstrui.nl/nieuws/a ... en-geboden

Motors next?

Richmond Racer 2

my fav thing so far is the speculation that Kenny Van Hummel might get awarded the 2009 Arno Wallaard Memorial


bwahahahahahahaha

No_Ta_Doctor

I'm now working on the hypothesis that Westra's depression was primarily the result of waking up each morning and realising what an utterly cynical, self-serving knobmoomin he was.

rick_chasey

The book doesn't really read like that, from the bits I've read.

mididoctors

Blazing Saddles wrote:

I see that he is going through the topical tick list.
The latest in English: Tramadol and race fixing.

http://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racin ... eer-378182

He's gone one a step further: a big one, in the Dutch press. Accuses Sagan of buying Roubaix from Dillier.

I hope Dillier asked for a big wedge if he did