In the late 1960s, Pierre was the first motocross rider to warm up before a race, something he was ridiculed for by other riders at the time. Last Friday we talked to the man responsible for this: Henk van Hulst, known to most as the trainer of top tennis players such as Jacco Eltingh and Sjeng Schalken.
Pierre realized, more than his competitors at the time, that with top physical and mental condition he had a better chance of beating them. It was pioneering for both of them in a sport until then unknown to Henk, but his approach played an important part in Pierre’s subsequent years of success. At that time, the exhausting workouts didn’t take place in modern gyms as we know them today, but simply in the local woods. Using what was available there, such as running through loose sand and hauling tree trunks. Although Pierre was virtually the only motocross rider Henk trained (fellow rider Jan de Rooy quit the demanding schedule after a few weeks) he did make a special impression on him. What has stayed with him is his determination to reach the top and to give it his all every day, while sometimes crossing the line on the racing track in his efforts to win.
