Maarten learned to ride a bicycle when he was 4. He discovered cycling as the ultimate way to travel some 20 years later. He mainly travels by bike as an excuse to eat huge quantities of exotic food and grow a scary beard. Once in a while he likes to tell the story of his first day of long distance cycling abroad, when he had 4 punctures in one day. What a hero. Anyway, he still really doesn’t like punctures.
Céline was subtly and slowly converted by Maarten into a cycling enthusiast. After a painful first encounter with actual mountains in New Zealand, she now finds herself genuinely enjoying long climbs. Fast descents however are not her cup of tea, which is why I usually hang around on her bike.
As for me, I always wanted to see what would lie behind the horizon. Standing around in gardens never quite did it for me. Within centuries they called me the travelling gnome, which is not something to be proud of where I come from. As I’m somewhat averse to group tours and a bit lazy too, I’m glad to be joining Céline and Maarten again for this fourth installment of our Big Trip. In return for the free ride I try to truthfully document our expedition on this very website.