Dancing with Life: From Elite Cyclist to Paralympic Hopeful
"If I'm ever going to be kind to myself, it's now."
In the latest episode of our cycling training podcast, we sat down with Nathalie Säfsten, a former elite road cyclist whose life was irrevocably changed by a horrific training crash in Spain in 2023. Today, Nathalie is a military officer, a survival training specialist, and a Paralympic hopeful in paracanoe.
Her story is not just one of physical recovery, but of a profound psychological transformation—a shift from a “push through” mentality to a philosophy she calls “dancing with life“.
The Crash that Changed Everything
Nathalie was at the peak of her cycling career, training in Spain to prove she belonged in a professional team for the 2023 season. During a routine long ride with friends, a car overtaking on a hidden corner turned directly into her lane.
The impact was devastating: broken ribs, a punctured lung, a broken scapula, and internal injuries. But it was the realization on the ground that would define her next chapter. Drawing on her military training in trauma medicine, she remained calm, instructed her friends not to touch her, and told her fellow rider Hanna Nilsson, “Cycling is done for me”.
Self Compassion
Nathalie’s transition from a hospital bed to a paracanoe wasn’t just about physical rehab. Having worked with a sports psychologist and studied the field herself, she had already begun cultivating a toolkit for mindful self-compassion before the accident.
Self-Compassion as a Survival Tool: When she first woke up and saw her legs in “strange positions,” her instinct was disgust. She immediately corrected herself with a internal dialogue: “Nathalie, if you’re ever going to be kind to yourself, it’s now”.
Journaling for Perspective: Nathalie journals every evening, a habit she picked up after the crash. It allows her to see patterns in her emotions and track a “hell of a ride” that is both physical and mental.
Letting Go of the “Numbers”: As an elite cyclist, Nathalie admits she used numbers and statistics as a coping strategy to avoid feeling her emotions. Today, she cares less about the power meter and more about her internal state.
Life as a “Superhuman”
Nathalie is candid about the realities of living with a spinal cord injury, which she describes as “cutting a few wires to a computer station”. It affects everything from temperature regulation to basic bodily functions—tasks that now require hours of her morning before she can even start her day.
Despite these hurdles, she finds a familiar sense of freedom on the water. “When I’m in my boat, it’s like I’m leaving the wheelchair on the bridge and then I just go out in nature and do my thing,” she says.
Takeaways for Every Athlete:
Total Load is more than Training: For Nathalie, a travel day can result in a higher stress score than a training day. Every athlete should be mindful of the cognitive and emotional load outside of their intervals.
Communicate Clearly: Success in para-sports (and all coaching) relies on two-way communication. Athletes must take responsibility for communicating their specific needs and how their world actually works.
Win Well: Nathalie has moved away from racing to “prove something”. Now, she races for fun and playfulness, proving that you can perform at the highest level while still “playing around”.
Listen to the full interview with Nathalie Säfsten on the D-VELO-P Cycling Training Podcast to hear more about her journey, her military background, and why she chose the water over the handbike.