Leontien van Moorsel: Mission keeps winning

More than twenty years after a sports career filled with world titles and Olympic medals, little has changed around Leontien van Moorsel's mission.

More than twenty years after a sports career full of world titles and Olympic medals, little has changed regarding Leontien van Moorsel. As an athlete, the mission was always to win; by now, that link has also been established in the social sphere and in her role as an entrepreneur. Even at the age of 55, everything is still dedicated to overcoming setbacks and winning. Especially concerning her crown jewel, Leontienhuis, a unique project for young people with an eating disorder. A fascinating story that she shares with Jaap de Groot.

Comments Jaap de Groot
Photography Karoly Effenberger

You are still incredibly active. From sports to show business. And of course the Leontienhuis, which you opened in 2013 after you yourself had overcome the battle against anorexia.

“I am indeed very active, partly because I still get a lot of energy from it. However, we are currently talking in the Leontienhuis, which is actually costing me a lot of energy at the moment. Especially just keeping it running. But together, you do save lives, and that is truly something beautiful. In the past, I used to ride a racing bike and make people happy with sporting successes; now, together, we make a difference. I emphasize ‘together,’ because although my name is associated with it, there are now six care providers and 175 volunteers working here. Furthermore, I am the race director for the Amstel Gold Race women’s race. That is also incredibly cool to do. And occasionally, I get to appear on SBS Shownieuws to talk about sports, and I give presentations for the business community. But the most important thing of all is that I am the mother of a beautiful daughter. For me, that is the absolute most important thing.”

What does your week look like?

Keeping the Leontienhuis running takes up a lot of time. There are many companies that want to do something, but they always add that I have to accept the cheque myself, or that in return I have to give a cycling clinic or a presentation at the company in question. I do that with all my heart, but naturally, that leaves very little time. However, that is how I bring in money for this project, so it is all more than worth it. The Leontienhuis needs 600.000 euros annually, and despite a bit of subsidy and contributions from various funds, I have to work incredibly hard to rake in between 250.000 and 350.000 euros myself every year. And I really mean raking in. Sometimes I almost break, and to be perfectly honest, I am in such a phase right now. But then I tell myself: you are just going to keep this up! But I do feel that it costs me a lot of energy, whereas I get the most energy from coaching people one-on-one in the old kitchen where we are now, drawing on my own experience. Focusing on how someone can get better. There is currently too little time for that, and I find that very unfortunate.

What are the obstacles; how could you solve this?

Over the past ten years, lives have been saved here, and we have never called upon the people who have used the Leontienhuis. A great many people have recovered, and I would really appreciate it if all those families would make a small monthly contribution. For one person that might be five euros, and for another ten, to help save the lives of the people currently staying with us. I am currently drafting a nice letter with the request: 'Guys, I desperately need your help now to keep saving lives.' On the other hand, I am also considering a solution involving perhaps ten companies wanting to become ambassadors for the Leontienhuis over the next three years, and for me to do something for those companies again. That would make things a bit more manageable and easier for me to handle. But what I find even more important is that I can be working here on the floor again.

What does the government subsidy represent?

That’s not that much, really. You have the personal budget and we are supported by the Oranje Fonds. But such a subsidy could run out again next year, which makes everything very vulnerable. What I do find very unfair is that some municipalities grant personal budgets while others do not, even though there are huge waiting lists for this problem in the Netherlands. Fifteen months in Amsterdam, nine months in Rotterdam, while a child can pass away within three months. Then I think: The Hague, wake up! We can demonstrate with data that our project works. Why don't you cover these costs structurally, so that I can get back to the workplace? Otherwise, those waiting lists will only get longer and more and more young people will die. Isn't that terrible? Thousands of people visit us here every year and we help about a hundred families a year. So not just the sick child, but also their extended family. Because if you have an eating disorder, you really share it with each other. That is why it is also important that you give the brothers, sisters, parents, grandparents a chance too. gives a listening ear.”

In the Netherlands, there are enormous waiting lists for this problem. Then I think: The Hague, wake up!

Do you also help people off the waiting lists in Amsterdam and Rotterdam?

In fact: all the way to Groningen and Limburg. Imagine living in Amsterdam and being told you have to join the back of the line, while your child has one foot in the grave. No matter where you come from, you fight for it. That is what I am experiencing here. As a parent, you do everything to save your child's life. That is why it is not normal that in our country, where so many things are well organized, mental health care is in such a poor state. I find it truly, deeply sad.

It's great to see that that fanatical sports mentality is still in you. You never give up.

“I’m really losing sleep over it, and at the same time I think that this shouldn’t come at the expense of my own health again. But if I stop here, all those families will be left on the sidelines. Surely that’s not right? It can’t be that we have to pull the plug on this, can it? I think it’s absolutely terrible that they are going to cut back on mental health care even more in The Hague now. Then I think: guys, come shadow us here for a day!”

In search of a solution, you keep pushing the boundaries. Quite a contrast with NOC*NSF, where they are cutting back on the bonuses for Olympic medal winners. Milan was even the last time they got paid. How do you view this as a former Olympian and entrepreneur?

“In my day, there was a bonus for the first medal that was phased out with every subsequent medal. We needed that money, because we were, so to speak, happy with just a pair of shorts and a shirt. Fortunately, that has changed in cycling. Someone like Demi Vollering now earns almost one million euros a year. Also, if you look at the prize money, such as the Amstel Gold Race, it is on par with the men. It used to be 1.600 euros for the winner and now it is around 16.000 euros. I am proud of that; I fought for it for years. It is a positive development because it makes athletes less dependent. That does not alter the fact that if someone wins gold at the Olympic Games, especially in the smaller sports, it cannot be the case that no bonus is paid out anymore. That is simply not okay.”

You became involved with the Amstel Gold Race in 2017 through race director and former cyclist Leo van Vliet. He is an entrepreneur by profession, and you currently are one too. Meanwhile, Dutch elite sport is being led by people who are anything but entrepreneurs. At both NOC*NSF and KNVB.

“We are dealing with our heroes, young people who motivate our new generation. Surely it is outdated not to reward these people? Harry Lavreysen and Jutta Leerdam, who inspire others to exercise, to move, to do something. If that doesn't happen with this generation, then you create an unhealthy society that will cost us much more in the long run. So why are we doing this? I don't understand it at all.”

Take the Amstel Gold Race. Surely the budget there also has to be covered every year, and the prize money increased in line with market rates?

Leo van Vliet has certainly built something over the past thirty years. Many companies appreciate being associated with the Amstel Gold Race, partly because it is more than just the race on Sunday. The entire province is put on the map for a whole weekend. It is their party. Meanwhile, the sponsors of the Amstel Gold Race are also becoming increasingly international. The company that runs the Amstel Gold Race, Vlaanderen Classics, plays an important role in this as the organizer of the Belgian classics as well.

When you look at it this way, how is it possible that so few sponsors can be found for TeamNL to financially reward the Olympians in a normal way?

“It starts with people who have the likeability factor. I always keep that in the back of my mind when I go looking for ambassadors for the Leontienhuis. Not everyone has a connection with eating disorders, because they haven't experienced it themselves or in their own environment. In that case, it really is about who approaches you. Leo van Vliet was such a person for the past thirty years. He also has an enormous likeability factor. He is an entrepreneur and he knows how to deliver. The Amstel Gold Race is beautiful, but Leo presents it even more beautifully than it already is. So that is definitely a point. You need people who sell the support of Olympians from the heart. When I see the number of Olympic partners now, it doesn't make me happy. Surely there must be more to get out of that?”

Have you ever been asked to take on a position at NOC*NSF?

“No, never.”

Whereas, as a former Olympian and entrepreneur, you can be more than just a figurehead.

You have to go back to the kitchen table every time. Society changes, and sponsorship behavior changes. Every time, you have to figure out how to approach it. I started the Leontienhuis twelve years ago with 100.000 euros in savings, when this was a dilapidated farmhouse. So how do we tackle that when you only have 100.000 euros and 900.000 euros worth of renovations are needed?

How did you actually do that? Because what stands here in Zevenhuizen is truly very special.

“I got in touch with the Twente entrepreneur Dik Wessels, who is sadly no longer with us. An acquaintance of mine, Paulus van der Valk, had arranged an appointment. I have never been so nervous. It felt like I was standing in front of the Olympic Games, and worse. This wasn't about myself, but about giving shape to this place. I arrived at Dik Wessels's place and he immediately started saying: 'I’m completely done with social projects; they’ve only cost me money. Millions here, millions there.' I could feel the sweat running down my back. I immediately thought: I’m not going to ask Dik for money at all. I understand this man. Everyone knows he is wealthy, and everyone comes here to ask for money. In the end, I just said: 'Dik, I want to ask you one thing: would you be willing to become an ambassador for the renovation of the Leontienhuis?'" He thought about it and added: 'You are the first person I have invited to my home who doesn't ask me for money' – which was actually my intention at first. During my drive home, he called and said: 'I would really like to become an ambassador, and with every construction company you approach, you can mention that I am an ambassador for the Leontienhuis. Here are the mobile numbers, and you can contact all these people.' What do you think? All doors opened! People came to do the window frames in exchange for a presentation, others did the roof tiles for free… And at a certain point, Dik Wessels became so enthusiastic that he organized a large gala in the east of the country. That is how we were able to renovate the Leontienhuis together, and with almost no money changing hands.”

That is exactly how it should be.

My heart and soul are in this. I do it all selflessly and have never even handed in a petrol receipt. So it does bother me when I see how some other social projects rent expensive buildings, while the director drives up in a Porsche funded by that organization. That makes my hair stand on end. Meanwhile, I sit here worrying about how long I can keep this up. Hence the new plan with ambassadors to enter the next phase in a healthy way again. You come from sports, you know what you had to do there, and now you are trying to build on that.

What do your activities at the Amstel Gold Race look like this year?

I am currently working with the State Lottery, one of our sponsors, to brainstorm on a project centered on dreams. We are now going to organize a Dream Challenge. I really enjoy not only doing the race itself, but also thinking about how we can bring the Amstel Gold Race to life more throughout the year. With the Dream Challenge, we want to let people experience what it is like to climb the Cauberg on the same day the professional riders do. In a sort of time trial-style setting. Furthermore, on Saturday I have the touring ride and the briefing with all the team managers. On Sunday, I will be in the car for the women's race, and after the finish, I will shoot to the bottom of the Cauberg to execute the Dream Challenge. Everyone can sign up to experience for themselves what it is like to climb the Cauberg with all those people on the sidelines. The Dream Challenge will be completed within 45 minutes, between the finish of the women and the start of the men, with women's and men's pairs. A total of twenty participants. They are going to feel just as much of a hero as a Matthieu van der Poel or a Demi Vollering. The touring ride is on, the race is on, but these kinds of things also give me energy.”

To what extent do you still train on your own?

“I still train quite a lot. Because I give many cycling clinics during the summer months, not being fit isn't ideal. You are much more than just the person giving a clinic; you are also a hostess. If your physical condition isn't up to par, you aren't much fun to be around. That’s why I train for at least seven hours a week. An hour a day, and more in the summer, because I’m more likely to take the bike then. That way, I do something every day, and it still makes me very happy.”

600.000 euros is needed annually for the Leontienhuis.

You work on Shownieuws, which often covers the private lives of athletes. Don't you ever find yourself in a difficult position?

“I draw my own line in that regard and always try to keep things as civil as possible. With other athletes, it still feels like they are colleagues. It is my thing, and that is accepted. Fortunately, I have very sweet colleagues, and I am incredibly lucky to have them. Bart Ettekoven, that sweetheart Patty Brard, and presenter Dyantha Brooks. Some evenings are a real treat. Then I don't feel like I'm working at all. The camera is on, but it feels like we're spending an evening together in the pub. I get to talk about sports, how I experienced it myself… and it's fun and sociable too!”

Do you still have ambitions?

“My drive is, when I stop in ten years, that the Leontienhuis is still standing. That together we have come up with something so that it is no longer vulnerable. Furthermore, I want to be a loving mom to my daughter Indy every day. That she eventually follows her heart too, with just as much passion and energy as her father and mother approach life. She is doing that now, and I think that is beautiful. I see the drive we have reflected in our daughter as well. She is currently studying Business Administration at the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences and is getting nothing but eights and nines. Then I am so proud, so proud. I think: oh darling, you are doing so well! Then I also feel incredibly happy.”