What many of you don’t know is that I was born in Limburg. The most southern province of the Netherlands, also known as cycling Mekka. I have never regretted leaving Limburg as I lived in many great places after that. What I do regret is that I didn’t CYCLE while living in Limburg.
Come to think of it, I regret having not CYCLED in a lot of great places I lived. I lived on the Gold Coast, Australia for a couple of years. Didn’t cycle. I lived in Melbourne for a couple of years. Didn’t cycle. I lived in the Hague for a couple of years. Didn’t cycle. I lived in Düsseldorf for some years. Didn’t cycle. All these great cities with an even better nature at close range, or close cycle to put it in better words and not having cycled there.
2019 was a great cycling year for me. I was lucky enough to cycle in many, many beautiful places. However, October was beautiful in a more special way. I was invited to cycle in two cities/places I used to live in. But never cycled. I visited The Hague and Limburg. And cycled.
After a great ridefluencer event organised by Bicyling in The Hague, a couple of days later I was invited by my nutrition sponsor (Born) to meet up for a ride in beautiful Limburg. The location was a chateau, the weather forecast beautiful, the other Born ambassadors inspiring, the photographer a creative hipster whom I also met during the event in The Hague. We were all going to cycle. In Limburg. Figuratively speaking I knew then, I would die and go to heaven.
Figuratively speaking I knew then, I would die and go to heaven.
After a round of introduction later I realised I was indeed in very good company: a young member of the national selection handbiking team, national triathletes, a superfast marathoner, some other influencers and me (!). It was I and all those great people who were going to go cycling.
We ate (one of Limburg’s second best assets: Limburgse vlaai), talked, laughed and started to cycle. We cycled into Limburg’s beautiful nature (definitely Limburg’s number one asset) and shifted some gears to conquer the hills, right until we shifted no gears no more and stopped for a coffee at: Fixed Gear Coffee. Situated at the foot of the Cauberg. Right in the middle of cycling heaven and home to our hipster photographer. The interior was as trendy as its owner and the coffee even better. A joy to my fashionista heart and my coffee-loving mind.
Shifted some gears until we shifted no gears no more and stopped for a coffee at: Fixed Gear Coffee.
After this pleasant rejoice we cycled back to the beautiful chateau where we started and enjoyed a great lunch and great stories from the life of Brian (our trendy-coffee-making-hipster-photographer with a great taste for interior design) turned out to be the best storyteller and a cat with seven lives. Born and reborn into several legendary career moves.
A great ending to a great day after which I went to visit my parents and we ate one of my childhood favorites: french fries with zuurvlees (not to be translated and definitely Limburg’s third best asset).
Yes, in religious Limburg it felt I died and went to heaven, but at the same time I was being Born and re-Born. I am proud I was born in Limburg and happy having spend a day with Born in Limburg.
KimQ76 