Gravel – theslikroad.cc

24 Jul

The Rift Iceland

It was an amazing adventure to join The Rift Iceland for the first time. The Rift is a 200 km (125 miles) off-road bike race through the dark lava fields in the highlands of Iceland. It traverses the continental rift between North America and Eurasia - a rift that grows one inch every year. The growth is evident with vast lava fields all around creating a surreal landscape. A landscape that is remote, rugged and unpredictable! In the final sprint with 6 riders I took 2nd place.Check out the gallery above to get an impression of the race in the [...]

15 Jul

Gravel One Fifty

Fast and flat race in the north of The Netherlands. We did a long chase on the two early attackers but we never managed to bridge the gap in the Gravel One Fifty this year. I had not the legs to split the chasing group of 22 and finished on place 17. Ready for the next race in Iceland!

3 Jul

Octopus Gravel 2023

Great to participate in the Octopus Gravel event near Andermatt, Switzerland. Started in the fog and ended in the sun. Suffering and enjoying views at the same time. Collected all the seven stamps on the tentacles of the Octopus and became fifth on the ranking of the three timed segments. But it was not about the result this time (only if I had won). Great event in the heart of the Swiss Alps.🇨🇭 💯

12 Jun

Podcast The Adventure Stach

Shortly before the Unbound, Jasper Ockeloen and I became main guests in The Adventure Stach, the podcast of the American professional gravel racer Payson McElveen. We talked about the roots of Dutch Mafia, our work at Sockeloen, the races so far and our perspective on racing Unbound. Listen to the full interview here.

25 May

USA gravel races

The gravel races for qualifying for the World Cup in Veneto and in preparation for Unbound on June 3 have started. After a satisfying fifth place at Traka 2023 in Girona, a race in which I debuted last year and immediately won, I cycled the 3Rides Gravel in Aachen. A race on a circuit of 15 km that had to be completed 7 times and there less suitable for me to hook up with the specialists. After a disappointing 28th place, I was able to take revenge in the first race of the American campaign. The Gravel Locos is a [...]

28 Jan

Trainingscamp Astana – Altea

From January 17 till January 27 I had the possibility to join the Astana Pro Team Trainingscamp in Altea, Spain. My main sponsor Wilier-Triestina is bike supplier of Astana so the connection was quickly made. I was welcomed with open arms and it directly felt like a family, just as the Wilier company. The staff and riders treated me as rider from the team and not as gravel racer, and we had a lot of laughs together.For the training rides I was assigned to group 2, the ‘flat’ riders. Everyday a nice route was made and we did efforts, some [...]

18 Oct

UCI World Championships Veneto

“Unfortunately, the gravel World Cup ended in a setback. The match was my second big goal after the Unbound. Unfortunately it just wasn't my day. I actually felt right that I was having an off day. No power, heavy course, many turns with acceleration. I was always too far behind. After the steep climb in the beginning and the difficult descent I felt completely dizzy and really thought: I'm getting off. In the end, I'm glad I made it to the finish. In the end it went a little better than expected. And I thought I couldn't afford not to [...]

20 Sep

Gravel One Fifty Veenhuizen: 2nd.

After missing a few matches after a fall in Sweden, I made my come-back on Saturday 17 September at Gravel One Fifty in Veenhuizen. There I qualified definitively for the World Cup in Veneto thanks to a 2nd place. It's great that the form is back and I look forward to the World Cup with great confidence.The Wilier Content Crew shot this cool aftermovie from the @gravelonefifty race. Thanks to @schorschal @sarah_grot @brob @louiiiseder & @sean_househam for the great weekend 👊 Check the video here.