Westra retires due to depression.

gweeds
gweeds Posts: 2,550
edited May 2018 in Pro race
A sad read this

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

I hope he finds some peace.
Napoleon, don't be jealous that I've been chatting online with babes all day. Besides, we both know that I'm training to be a cage fighter.

Comments

  • Alex99
    Alex99 Posts: 1,407
    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
    Pross Posts: 40,218
    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.
  • gweeds
    gweeds Posts: 2,550
    Seemed worth its own thread but hey ho
    Napoleon, don't be jealous that I've been chatting online with babes all day. Besides, we both know that I'm training to be a cage fighter.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,249
    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
    Pross Posts: 40,218
    Sensible choice really. Was that he had to stop taking it due to rules or because it would have restricted his performance?
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,249
    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
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,201
    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.
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  • mfin
    mfin Posts: 6,729
    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
    knedlicky Posts: 3,097
    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).

    510TcbLF18L.jpg

    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
    Vino'sGhost Posts: 4,129
    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
    veronese68 Posts: 27,252
    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
    ddraver Posts: 26,348
    Surely he should be being hounded from the sport now no..?

    No?

    Just Sky then...?

    ...kay
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,249
    Lotto boys have been pretty punchy in their responses.

    Stef Clement in particular.
  • gweeds
    gweeds Posts: 2,550
    Astana shocked at the news.

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

    Riiiiiiiight.
    Napoleon, don't be jealous that I've been chatting online with babes all day. Besides, we both know that I'm training to be a cage fighter.
  • argyllflyer
    argyllflyer Posts: 893
    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
    Vino'sGhost Posts: 4,129
    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
    tailwindhome Posts: 18,879
    Maybe these topics need a separate thread.
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • Vino'sGhost
    Vino'sGhost Posts: 4,129
    Maybe these topics need a separate thread.
    Agreed
  • argyllflyer
    argyllflyer Posts: 893
    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
    blazing_saddles Posts: 21,741
    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?
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • Richmond Racer 2
    Richmond Racer 2 Posts: 4,698
    my fav thing so far is the speculation that Kenny Van Hummel might get awarded the 2009 Arno Wallaard Memorial


    bwahahahahahahaha
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,201
    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.
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,249
    The book doesn't really read like that, from the bits I've read.
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 16,646
    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 :D
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm