Willem's fietsvakanties

In the year when Eddy Merckx won Milan-San Remo for the first time, the year when the first edition of the now classic Dutch professional bicycle race (The Amstel Gold race) was held, in that same year, I was born.

Even at this stage there was little doubt about what the future had in store for me. Still in diapers, I became submerged in the bicycling culture.

As soon as I got my first bicycle, oh well tricycle, I was ready to explore the world, as was my teddy bear.

Despite my early start, it wasn't until 1982, after years of daily rides to school, before I made my first tour on the racing bicycle.

As an adolescent racer I spent almost every hour of my spare time on the bicycle. Soon I was competing in races in different disciplines such as road races, cyclo-crosses and track races, enjoying each as much as the other.

After a little less than two years of engaging enthusiastically in the sports of cycling, I was fortunate to achieve my first victory in a national race in the year 1984.

Having completed secondary school a few months earlier I now took on studying at Delft University and later at the Vrije Universiteit, a new episode in my educational career.
During those years, devoting my time and effort alternated between studying and cycling.

Still hungry for more cycling experiences, I started traveling on my bicycle in my early twenties. Initially, in the winter of 1987/1988, with a four weeks' journey through Israel, which turned out to be the first of many to follow.

Indeed, a six weeks' cycling exploration of the greater Cape Town area and a bicycle journey through Europe soon followed.

Not only did my travels result in an even greater desire to go on bicycle travels, but it also led me (in Italy) to meet the girl who would be joining me on the bicycle journeys for the next years. Needless to mention that it took me nine years to finally complete my doctoral studies.

Freshly graduated as an exercise physiologist, biophysicist and sport psychologist, I broadened my activities within the field of cycling. Using my own, newly set up, practice as a base, I became a personal coach, counselor of individual cyclists as well as of bicycle racing teams as a whole. In between the periods when I was occupied with my activities as a personal coach and riding bicycle races myself, I spent my time traveling on the bicycle, now in the company of a girl.

On our four wheels (that is, two each) we visited Greece, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, England, South-Africa and many more.

When, at the turn of the century, we were so fortunate to become the parents of two children, cycling came to a halt. Albeit temporarily. As soon as the children could sit up straight, we restarted bicycle traveling, now with the four of us.

Meanwhile, instead of spending much time on the bicycle, I took on a position as an IT project manager and later a management consultant in addition to my work as a personal coach.

When time left for travelling became scarce, I shifted my cycling efforts towards bicycle racing. After a few years of devoting my spare time to training and racing, I once again found satisfaction in performing well. Soon my efforts were rewarded when, in 2003, I succeeded in winning the national championships (that is, in the category of medical professionals).

After performing well at the world championships and being close to victory, I decided to try once more to become world champion. At the same time, I was given the opportunity to do a PhD while combining this with managing a talent scouting project at Stellenbosch University.

After arriving back in Europe for a final attempt for victory at the 2004 cycling world championships, before relocating to South Africa, misfortune struck me.

During a short bicycle ride a car and I crossed paths. An encounter that was decided in favour of the car (although not quite, I survived but the car was declared ‘total loss’). It was only after a few days that I regained consciousness in a hospital bed. Needless to mention that cycling again came to a halt. But again, that would turn out to be temporary.

After the collision with the car, a period of inactivity and self-revalidation followed. It goes without saying that I did the latter on the bicycle. Being spotted by bicycle racers, I was soon asked by some to become their personal coach again.

As the word was spreading, I was, in the year 2007, asked to become a lecturer at the Topsport Academy of Rotterdam University.

Some time later I started racing again, albeit at the lowest level. Around the same time, I took on bicycle traveling with my family again, the children by now being able to travel on their own bicycle.

As work and sports performance continued to be fluctuating. Despite the occasional highs, a shift of focus seemed unavoidable.

When cycling in the Canadian Rockies in the summer of 2011, the bicycle travel virus caught me again.

Already in my 40s, I explored the Western Cape Province on the bicycle in the years 2012/2013. A ride that turned out to be a tour down memory lane.

The following years, travels through the Balkan, the Mediterranean islands as well as Western Europe followed. Bicycle traveling was back in my life!

My bicycle travel revival was also the prelude to the publication of my travel stories on a (this) blog, incorporating all previous travels as well. Some years later my stories drew the attention of a Belgian magazine about (bicycle) hiking, ‘Op Weg’. A late starting travel writer career may be at hand. Perhaps following the footsteps of one of my idols, Frank van Rijn?

Soon after some of my travel stories were published, I was approached about making a bicycle travel documentary. On film that was. Could this be the start of a then 28-year-old dream, the start of a ‘Micheal Palin’-like travel-film career? And what about my other, just started, initiative: designing custom made titanium bicycle frames?

Just as I thought a new career was starting, I got bitten by a tick on one of my camping trips somewhere in 2016, and even twice thereafter. The following infection and contraction of Lyme Disease left me incapable of following through, the path that laid ahead.
Would this be the end of an adventure that never was?

Refusing to let the bug getting the better of me, I kept pushing my pedals. With the perseverance (as well as the speed) of a tortoise, having bad days interspersed with the occasional good day, I cycled on. With back-up at home and the ever so helpful Balkan people as much as the Greeks and Turks, I even managed to travel through Cyprus, Serbia and Crete. More often then not, however, I had to abandon a journey and return home, sometimes after just a few days.

While I was still suffering from the consequences of the tick bites, my son expressed his desire to go on cycling journeys together which added a new chapter to my bicycling traveling stories.

The following years, we traveled on our bicycles through the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, England, Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia.

Has a new world traveler, following my pedal strokes, seen the light of day?

As father-and-son bicycle travels added a new dimension to the story book, enthousiasm spread through the family. It was then that my daughter was up for a new experience, a biker-hiker journey with the three of us.

Around the same time I was ready for a bicycle challenge myself. Leaving all tick bite troubles behind me (al least the perception of them), South Africa was again calling out for me.
Feeling so well on this journey, made me feel ready for a new bicycle travel family experience.

When summer arrived a family of three could be spotted on the Belgian roads. Cycling, camping and spending quality time. A beginning of a new family tradition?