van GENDT Twan

General
TOKYO REPLICA
In 2020 he worked with a sponsor to build a replica of part of the track for the 2020 Olympic Games. The replica was constructed in Ammerzoden, Netherlands, where he took up the sport as a child. "I know I have to make the difference at the start and the first two jumps, that's my strength. And when Red Bull asked me how they could help me, I said, 'With my start'. Together we came up with the idea of rebuilding this track, so that I can perfect that first part in the coming months." (fatbmx.com, 21 Oct 2020)

TEAM SWITCH
After he broke his ankle during a training session in the lead-up to the 2018 World Championships, he decided to join Team Oegema TVE, leaving his base with the Dutch national team at Papendal, Netherlands. "I chose to switch from a technical point of view. I had the feeling that I wasn't getting the most out of myself. Suddenly I had to arrange everything myself. I ran into problems that I never had before. Everything was different and I struggled on a private level as well. I lost eight kilograms because of it all." Following the switch, he went on to win the world title at the 2019 World Championships in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium. (teamnl.org, 17 May 2021; TeamNL YouTube channel, 02 Sep 2020)