From darter to cyclist – The cool story of Brian Megens
It may not be as Hollywood-esque as the story of paralympic handbiker gone pro Monique van der Vorst but the story of Brian Megens is pretty cool too.
Brian is now 21 years old. When he was 15 he was one of the top junior darters around with a 17th spot at the Worlds. By the time he weighed 91kg (200 pounds) but he wanted something different.
After a brief stint at kickboxing he saved up his money and bought himself a second hand bike on Marktplaats, the Dutch Ebay. It costed a little over 200 euros.
Cycling career
At age 18 he started in the amateurs-A class and proved to be talented. He lost weight quickly and became a real athlete. After another season with an amateur team (Waardrenners) he was picked up bij Jo Piels Continental Team.
In 2012 he makes his debut in the elite squad of Rabobank Continental with the likes of Ivar Slik, Rick Zabel and Moreno Hofland. Great pro’s like Robert Gesink, Bauke Mollema, Steven Kruijswijk all came to Rabobank proteam through the continental development squad.
Brian has been racing a mere three seasons now. He looks top fit and weighs 25kg less than in his darting days. He is happy with the chance he gets at Rabobank and is sure that his experiences as a darter help him as a rider. “Darts may not be a physical sport but mentally it’s quite demanding. That mentality will help me on the bike. I have to stay focussed all the time, just like in a darts game,” he tells Wielerupdate. His dream? Shining in a Tour de France mountain stage!
For a 21-year old Brian comes across as a serious athlete. I think he can be an inspiration to young people around the world and that’s why I wrote this blog about him. To conclude in Brian’s own words.
“What I did shows that with a little perseverance and discipline, you can get very far.”
Follow Brian’s year with Rabobank Continental via twitter. His handle is @brianali44
Good luck Brian!
