My 5 Most Memorable Adventures of 2023

After becoming a dad in November of 2022, I had no idea what 2023 would have to offer. Sure, sleepless nights and dirty diapers, but would I still be able to go out on adventures big and small like I used to do? The answer, luckily, was yes.

With a good work, cycling, and private-life balance, supported by an amazing girlfriend, I was able to travel Europe far and wide, as well as just around the corner. Here are five rides that I managed to squeeze into my now extra-busy life, that I would highly recommend to anyone. If I can do it as a first-time dad, then surely you can too.

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1️⃣ Gravel Adventure Dwingelderveld
Starting with a ride for the Dutchies, or those visiting looking for something less known. Up in the North lies hidden in plain sight the Dwingelderveld National Park. Unfortunately, a vulnerable place where you cannot simply go out and ride anywhere off-road. The route below however is carefully planned via legal paths and trails, adding up to a beautiful and diverse route through forests and moorlands, without all the people ;-)

2️⃣ High Weald & Coast. A great ride through the English countryside.
During my family summer holiday I visited the South of England, and of course, brought my bike. Knowing how beautiful country roads are in the UK, I brought my Cannondale SuperSix road racer, and I did not regret it one bit. This particular ride in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (British wording, not mine, but I agree) has all the winding, rolling, and classic stone brick-walled roads you could wish for, combined with some beautiful historic coastal villages and English Channel views. It was one of those rides that I never wanted to stop and I highly recommend you visit the area if you ever get the chance.

3️⃣ TRANS-VELUWE by Erwin Sikkens
It has been three years since I first launched the popular Green Divide and its backbones Heuvelrug Divide and Veluwe Divide. These now-famous routes however originate from an earlier idea of mine to cross the Veluwe forest length off-road in a sort-off straight line in one day. This year I went back to my original one-day-ride idea and rode my redesigned 90 kilometer route from Zwolle to Arnhem, still as beautiful and relevant as ever.

4️⃣ Mid-week Hammock & Coffee ride
In between all the big adventures, I wanted to share with you this particular short ride, not as a route, but as an inspiration. At only 25 kilometers it sits as one of my shortest rides of the year, yet it took me all day to complete it. Why you ask? I took my time enjoying nature at party pace, but more importantly, I took a great hammock break halfway the ride, enjoying some food and coffee while enjoying nature, sharing a laugh or two with a good friend. It's tiny adventures like these that I think perfectly showcase that a great experience doesn't necessarily have to translate into a great distance.

5️⃣ Bikepacking Andalusia - A seven-day trip through gravel paradise.
Surely this week-long adventure was not completed in one go. What you see here is only a fraction of one of my greatest bikepacking adventures to date. The total ride took us seven days to complete and was as diverse as it was beautiful. If you're looking for a sportive gravel bikepacking adventure, then be sure to check out the full komoot Collection I created about this adventure. You'll find it in my profile or via the link in the ride.
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Some honorable mentions that didn't make the cut.
You'll find all these rides on my komoot profile:
💚 My Three Peaks Packing adventure, bikepacking to and from the infamous Three Peaks Cyclo-cross. A full Collection on this crazy endeavor is now up on my komoot profile :-)
💚 My gravel rides in the Rijk van Nijmegen and Noord-Limburg area, with a hint of German forest. Beautiful off-road riding on an often overlooked part of the Dutch-German borderlands.
💚 My Pathfinder x Erwin ride, a gravel ride and event that took place this summer, that I helped organize. A beautiful Strade Bianche (road bike proof) gravel ride on my beloved Veluwe.
💚 A great weekend bikepacking trip in the German Sauerland forest, sleeping out in the wild, inviting Douwe to his first-ever true bikepacking adventure.
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I truly hope some of these rides give you the '24 inspiration you were looking for and wish for your rides to be as inspirational to others. Have fun riding 👋😁