Consistent Training, Good Grades, and Bad Luck

Quirijn Waaijenberg • 17 May 2025

Consistent Training, Good Grades, and Bad Luck?

It’s been a while since I last posted—my road trip feels like ages ago now. Truth be told, there just wasn’t much to write about. Life settled into a steady rhythm: lectures, training, and a new unit on ethics and sustainability, which I’ve found surprisingly fascinating. It dives deep into philosophical questions and explores the role of ethics in the business world—challenging, but interesting stuff.


Training had been going really well these past weeks. I couldn’t run due to a minor hip injury, but swimming, biking, and strength training were all on the up. I felt strong.


Last weekend, though, I was unusually tired and decided to listen to my body and take it easy. That turned out to be a good call—I started Monday feeling refreshed. After a light brekkie, I headed out for a long swim, then biked to school on my trusty single-speed.


On the way home, I made a quick stop for groceries, then pedaled on. Just one last little uphill before home. I stood on my pedals to power through it. A couple of strong pushes—and then, snap. My chain came off. The sudden shift threw my balance off completely, and I was launched over the handlebars. Mid-air, I knew something was wrong. The moment I hit the ground, I felt it: my collarbone was toast.


I managed to get off the road and lay back in the grass. Pulled out my phone and called an ambulance. While I was on the call, a man stopped to ask if I’d been hit by a car. I explained what happened. Then, another man—an older, friendly guy—pulled over on his way to clean up plastic waste. The first guy had to dash (his daughter had basketball practice), but kindly gave me his number—he worked with the police.


Soon after, the hospital called back asking if I had another way to get there without an ambulance. I turned to the older man, and he kindly offered to drive me. At the hospital, I started feeling dizzy and lightheaded while standing at reception. They quickly got me lying down and found me a bed in the ER lobby. And then... the waiting game.

After three hours, I finally got an X-ray—yep, broken collarbone. Another hour later, I was discharged and headed home, shoulder aching and spirits slightly deflated.


These past few days have been a mix of pain, movies, and not much else. I'm doing my best to stay patient, rest up, and recover. Hoping to bounce back soon and make the most of the time I still have left Down Under.


I am going to try and give weekly updates about my recovery.

Q Out

by Quirijn Waaijenberg 26 September 2025
It’s Friday, the day before the race, and I’m currently chilling in bed while writing this piece about tomorrow and the past few days. Right now, the weather is dreadful, and it’s not looking much better for race day: lots of rain, and there’s even a chance the swim will be shortened — or that it could turn into a duathlon 😅. Honestly, a shorter swim would be better for me since I’m still coming back from my broken collarbone. The last few days have been amazing though. We had good weather and lots of fun during the course recons with the Dutchies. On Monday, I went out with my dad on the bike course in pouring rain and also dipped into the lake — surprisingly nice water at 19°C. Today it’s closer to 16°C. The bike course was super slippery in the rain, especially with the new downhill section near the end of the 16 km loop. On Tuesday, we went out with a big group for a two-lap ride in the sun, and later in the day we did an easy swim in the pool just to keep the shoulders loose. We wrapped it up with a pizza party with all the Dutchies in Molveno 🍕🇳🇱. On Wednesday, I only did two laps on the run course with some speed work. The run feels fast, but there’s one slippery section in the middle of the 5 km loop that could get tricky. Thursday was all about the bike: I took the cable car to the top of the climb and did the descent five times — with the last one freaking fast. It felt so good that it really got me hyped for race day. In the afternoon I chilled a bit, then went to watch the short track race that I narrowly missed qualifying for. Still, watching Romy Spoelder, Hugo Bosscher, and Bart Cooymans tear up the track was awesome. Both the men’s and women’s races had some epic battles at the front. And now, here we are: one day before the race. I went for an easy jog this morning with some speed — legs are feeling amazing. Later today I’ll do a short swim in the pool, then it’s dinner, bike check, and straight to bed. Tomorrow morning it’s game on: race day! 👉 You can follow the race live on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VK9o1GcyBE 👉 Or check the live tracking: https://www.endu.net/en/events/xterra-world-championships/results My race tips for tomorrow: Swim: Survive it ! Just kidding 😅 — it’s going to be a mental game in the cold water. The most important part: even though it will be cold, try to get in the water before the start so your body adjusts properly and it won’t be such a big shock. Bike: Push hard uphill, stay careful on the downhills, and take corners high to keep speed and find easier lines. On the rock section: DON’T brake on rocks 🚫🪨. If you’re scared, just hop off the bike — better safe than crashing. Run: Full gas to the finish. Enjoy every second, because this is the LAST TIME in Molveno for the XTERRA World Champs! Have fun out there and race fast! — Q out ✌️
by Quirijn Waaijenberg 22 September 2025
Hi everyone,
by Quirijn Waaijenberg 25 June 2025
Hi everyone,
by Quirijn Waaijenberg 15 June 2025
My time since the last blog and the recovering from a fracture
by Quirijn Waaijenberg 2 June 2025
Putting words on paper isn’t always easy.
by Quirijn Waaijenberg 27 April 2025
Last day before University starts again!
by Quirijn Waaijenberg 26 April 2025
Road Trip day 3
by Quirijn Waaijenberg 25 April 2025
I’m currently making small vlogs during the road trip — you can watch them on my Instagram @quirijnwaaijenberg. I’m learning the art of shameless self-promotion, let me know if I’m doing it right, lol.
by Quirijn Waaijenberg 24 April 2025
I’ll start off by saying: Cheers. I’m currently at the end of my first day on the road, sipping a cold 0% Australian beer.
by Quirijn Waaijenberg 17 April 2025
For everyone wondering why it's been a while—first off, I'm sorry I haven’t written anything sooner. The second reason is... I was busy wasting time. I had a difficult time settling into university life and training after the race. I had to do everything myself again, which isn’t great when you're tired and feeling a bit alone.