ABOUT ME

Born in the late 70s and raised as a member of the MTV generation. After having played football for 25 years the swiftness and speed started to fade out and it was time to switch to the bike; first MTB, later also the road bike, but without having any competitive ambitions.
Actually living south-west of Brussels and having a full-time non-cycling related job.
#passionatebutnotobsessed

ABOUT THIS SITE

This website is a way to share the pleasures of traveling by bike. Of course it is nice to get kudos, likes and big thumbs up for photos and videos, but on the other hand it is a way to provide information for those who are looking for inspiration to organize a nice trip by bike. During the preparation and planning of my own bike tours, the vast majority of information also comes from the Internet; existing GPS files from Strava, photos from Google Earth, videos from YouTube, travel experiences on specialized forums, etc ...
To summarize it with a single hashtag: #googleisyourfriend

ABOUT THE ❤️ FOR BIKE TRIPS

Traveling by bicycle allows you to reach special places. Places that are inaccessible to cars or places too far away for the average hiker. The smells and sounds of nature are also perceived more intensely when riding a bike.
Then there is the physical challenge to push the limits, stay in shape and be able to continue to eat real hamburgers with french fries. Furthermore, it is clear that the stronger the cyclist is, the more he will be able to enjoy a bike ride.

ABOUT SOLO VS. GROUP RIDES

Group rides are not only great because of the social aspect where you can have a pleasant chat for hours, it also allows you to recover by sitting on someone's wheel. And in case of a technical failure it's of course more reassuring to be in good company. Mass events are not my cup of tea because the charm and tranquility of nature are lost.
Cycling all on your own is adventurous; you can make all the decisions without having to take into account the opinion of others: pace, distance, rest breaks, etc. In case a problem or critical situation arises (stretches where the bike has to be pushed, vanished tracks, climatic conditions, ...) there's no one else who's in that same mess because of my actions.
#meandmymisery

ABOUT MTB OR ROAD BIKE OR GRAVEL BIKE

The mountain bike allows you to continue where the classic road bike has to stop; as soon as the asphalt ends, only the MTB can get on and take you further away from the civilized world and thus closer to the adventure.

#offthebeatenpath

A road bike has also its advantages; the mythical 'hellingen' of the Tour of Flanders or the legendary cols from the Tour de France can be ridden just like the pros do. And during group rides it is possible to have a chat with the fellow riders without having to shout. A pratical advantage is that after a quick short training ride, the road bike can be put away without having to clean it extensively first, whereas a mountain bike ride requires mostly some homework afterwards.

A gravel bike is said to be a hype, but I think it is here to stay, and furthermore it will convince a large part of the MTB riders who ride in places with... no mountains.

My personal preference is seasonal and depending on the purpose:

MTB = adventure; road bike = speeeeddd!;

gravelbike = a little bit of everything.

ABOUT SOME COMPETITION

It is already far too late to start a successful professional cycling career, so I only use the bicycle for recreational purposes, in order to build a nice career as a bicycle traveler. As already mentioned, it is important to be in good shape in order to enjoy long journeys, with or without a 10kg heavy backpack.
In group rides there's always some little rivalry, so then it's also important to be physically fit if you don't want to get dropped.
The increasing success of the Strava app, feeds the competition spirit, which is good to animate the repetitive solo training rides. One could debate for hours about the correctness of Strava, about all the factors that need to be considered... but as a virtual sparring partner it is a great KOMpanion.