My most FUN 2023 adventures!

This year, even more than previous years, was about who I adventured with rather than where I adventured. It was also more than usual about simply having fun, meeting new people, encouraging friends to try new things on the bike - and vice versa! Looking back on the year, I realize how special it is to be able to share the passion for cycling and cycling adventures with others. I have particularly fond memories of:

1. The IRIS X komoot Women's Weekender
In June, the first IRIS X komoot Women's Weekender took place in the Netherlands. Together with 40 women from all over Europe, we came together for an adventure full of fun, cycling and camping fun. 🤗 The route covered a total of 280 km of mixed terrain from Breda to Maastricht. Together with komoot we designed and created this event to show the female cycling community that bikepacking is possible for everyone! And it was a great success 🙌

2. Discovering Sri Lanka on a gravel bike
Of course I couldn't say no to a spontaneous invitation to explore Sri Lanka on a gravel bike! The 'stage' through the Knuckles Mountain Range was the most memorable of the week.

3. On an adventure from my own front door
Sometimes you don't have to look far for that 'holiday feeling'. Together with a friend we spontaneously packed our camping gear and created a route based on A-Cross the 2. Through the Netherlands and Belgium :) For Eline, a perfect introduction to bikepacking including camping. A perfect opportunity for me to discover even more trails relatively close to home!

4. Tuscany Trail
An appointment with friends in Italy was a good excuse for Lexi and me to combine the civilised with an adventure. Instead of the train or plane, we took the Tuscany Trail towards Umbria. We had four quite challenging days on the bike, but luckily even after four days we could still laugh about all those times we had to push our bike up somewhere...

5. Crazy gravel rides with friends!
Fortunately, 2023 had many great bike rides with friends. They were certainly not all epic or special, but they were all very fun. A 'cycling weekend' in Italy with friends was more about the stops than about the altitude and kilometers traveled. And between all those stops we discovered many beautiful gravel paths!