About Me contd...I'll never forget that exhilarating feeling when mum let me ride to my friend's place down the road… alone. The first day I rode to school. The first time I took my girlfriend to the movies. Then the first time I moved into a flat in the big smoke and borrowed a ‘bakfiets’ off a mate to move my couch/bed and drawing table.
So ingrained in the Dutch blood biking is, my mum and dad even got married on one! With flatting came a sense of independence. Holidays were spent all around the country. How did we get around on a student allowance? With panniers loaded to bursting we roamed the countryside in search of adventure and new places to visit. Belgian Ardennes, France, Germany. New cultures, new cities and endless places to explore. Long story short, my family of 6 moved to NZ (Auckland) to live when I was 10. Bit of a culture shock. Yup. I went to school and then completed a cabinetmaker's apprenticeship. When I was 21 I returned to The Netherlands and got a degree in interior architecture and spacial design. When I was in my early 30's I decided that NZ really was a better place to live and so I returned and have lived here happily ever since. Cycling in Auckland was... challenging, so it kind of got put on hold for a while. I did ride regularly at Woodhill but didn't spend nearly as much time on my bike as with life in Holland. I played around with other forms of propulsion - blasting down Nelson St in downtown Auckland on my roller skates was exhilarating! Moving to Rotorua really kicked the cycling back into gear with mountain biking, overnight adventures and just with regular daily transport. My wife and kids also love to bike so it's a great pleasure to be designing and making a product that let's us all get out there together - over the hills and far away. |