Her fanatical approach turned into severe anorexia, dramatically impacting her physical well-being and daily existence.
"500, maybe 600 calories a day. That's all I ate.
My resting heart rate was 26 per minute. I didn't dare go to sleep, out of fear of not waking up the next morning.
I didn't want to die. I actually only wanted one thing: to become the Leontien of before again," said Van Moorsel.
Longo similarly experienced long-term physical consequences from the extreme demands of elite professional cycling, including her inability to start a family after retiring in the late 1990s.
"But I was never given the chance to have a child. That is partly due to cycling.
Years of stress and underweight had a huge impact on my physical condition. My body didn't want a pregnancy on top of that, I think," said Longo.
Decades after their famous tactical standstill on Alpe d'Huez, the two former champions recognized striking similarities in each other's mentalities during their meeting.
The meeting marked the end of the public service broadcaster program Andere Tijden Sport after its run since 2008.
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"Actually, I think we are quite similar," said Longo.
