My Story

An Australian who tries his luck in Pijnacker 

Ivan Cook chases his absolute cycling dream

Wild man, a goatee, earrings and thick legs. That's Ivan Cook. A somewhat unorthodox appearance for a cyclist. He has been through everything in his still young career. Began backpacking in Europe and has never left. Looking at cycling races in Belgium got him back in love with the game of what he did before in Australia. 

by David van den Berg

(English translation from Dutch article)

Cook, an Australian with Asian roots, was from childhood very good in cycling. Winning several national medals, being selected for youth Olympics, he was on the fast track to success. He more or less ended up by chance in the whole circus of cycling. '' I was very close with my brother. We were both sporty. My brother used to play Rugby, but he became severely injured after a bad tackle which left him in a neck brace for a year. My father who always rode but just for fun, then decided that we should give cycling a go because it was safer. " A blessing in disguise for Cook. His brother was the first who stepped on the iron horse, not much later, Ivan followed. '' I wanted to do what my brother did, I was just lured in. " It was a good move to put Ivan on the bike. Soon they found out that Ivan had a feeling for the bike and soon the victories came.

Motivation

The racing went well in Australia, but at some point something snaps in the small Australian. "From my hometown of Cairns, cycling was basically unheard of at that time, we had no velodrome or support programs, my parents had to pay for everything. it was a constant uphill battle which I loved but since I started so early with cycling(11), by the time I was 18 I had, had enough. It was ridiculous I was one of the highest ranked in the country but was still not offered much support compared to other lowed ranked riders from bigger cities, I lost my faith in the sport or system. I then started studying and traveling, "'says Ivan Cook.

Not much later, he met his German girlfriend, who was backpacking in Australia. '' I finished my studies and went backpacking through Europe, to Belgium and Germany among other places. When I was in Belgium I saw a few races and that cycling itch came again . I realized that here you can race bikes and make a career from it '' Cook said. '' There are few opportunities to race much in Australia at a high level. Here you can. It partly has to do with the culture, here everyone rides a bike to get around, in Australia it is quite different although it is on the rise. The vibe here is just much better. " Being Down Under was also difficult because you do a lot of traveling for competitions and you can feel it in your wallet."

His family was initially reluctant when Cook decided to try his luck cycling in Europe. '' They saw me prefer to take a job, buy a house and have children. After a few results came they also started to  believe and they saw that it was very important to me. I always have my education on hand '' says Cook graduated as a personal trainer.

He decided to remain unanimous to take up cycling again. He first rode for a Belgium team for two seasons. The first year Ivan Cook immediately felt the ropes of cycling. They came hard, because Cook had been idle for a while. '' The first year I got a lot Arsekicking. Of course I had not cycled for a while and especially the distances were new to me. The level among the riders was much higher." After a time of suffering, dying a thousand deaths the little Australian regained somewhat of his old form back. He knew then for sure, he wanted to be a cyclist.

"You feel sometimes lonely"

Voorburg
In a small, cozy and intimate room in an apartment, he shares with around three to five people in Voorburg you will find Ivan Cook. A mattress, a table, a chair and a couple of boxes have to imagine the interior. It smells like wet paint and wood because it is still under construction. When Cook arrived here it was one big ruin. Now beginning to take shape. "Leaving Australia was not the easiest, at first it was definitely difficult for me. Home will always be there, but it's no more than a day or two away. With that in mind, I live here now. Of course, I sometimes get homesick and you can feel lonely. Though altogether there are more happy times than not.'' said Cook. '' The weather I miss the most, eight of the twelve months of sunshine I liked. " More differences he sees not really between Australia and the Netherlands. '' Besides the fact that you eat pancakes for supper, in Australia we eat it for breakfast. For the rest, there are many similarities, everyone is very friendly. ''

He does not often claim to be home. He likes to go out, explore the area, go out training on his race bike. In the corner of his room is a stick, not just a stick. '' I get up, do some meditation and yoga. The stick I  also include in my yoga. I have deliberately not bought too much furniture in my cramped little room, so I have the space to do my morning routines. I'm not so much of a spiritual person, but it keeps me flexible and starts my day off on the right foot. '' He also keeps a blog, which he uses as his outlet. '' I saw it initially more like a diary. I got some feedback from my relatives that they were glad they could see what was happening. Then I had some more people following me and it was also interesting hearing some feedback from young riders in Australia. They now know through my blog what it can entail cycling in Europe. ''

Yet Ivan Cook the trip sounds pretty pricey. '' As you can see I live pretty primitive here. I use little money. If I'm working full time as a personal trainer in Australia, I earn good money with it. But when traveling beside cycling I'm also busy with side jobs, to get some more money in the drawer. " His journey has lasted for about four years now. The journey has so far been successful according to Cook. '' It's a real rollercoaster for me, it is about personal improvement both physically and mentally. I'm happy that's the most important thing. " To fail he does not. He has honestly never really thought about it. '' My backup plan is always my education and Australia. Maybe my ultimate goal is not cycling, but maybe there will be something else interesting on my way up. Maybe I'll start my own business, you never know. Im not too worried. I have so far no regrets about this trip. I'd just be disappointed if I did not do my best, '' Cook's conclusion. Ivan Cook, from Australia to the Low Countries, just living the dream.