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Posted by on Apr 18, 2020 in miscellaneous | 2 comments

Is oval better?

Is oval better?

It has been a while since my last blog post. I hadn’t cycle for a while since my last accident. I have to admit I had a hard time getting on my bike seeing that the last accident has left me with a permanent injury and the pain I have keeps reminding me of the risks of the sport I love. I really needed an incentive to get back on the bike and enjoy cycling like I did before. I had seen many ads on Facebook about the Absoluteblack oval rings and decided to treat myself with two oval rings for my winter bike. I deliberately did not do any research into whether these would actually be better than the “normal” rings. My idea was to just try them and write about my experience on my blog. So, don’t expect this to be scientific whatsoever, it’s just me telling you what I think of my purchase. When my oval rings arrived I went to Niek at Van der Velden...

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Posted by on Jul 5, 2018 in miscellaneous, training | 0 comments

Coming back from an accident – learning from my mistakes

Coming back from an accident – learning from my mistakes

Last January I was hit by a car while cycling on a small country road. This was the second bike accident in 2.5 years that left me badly injured, so again, I had to start a rehabilitation process to get back into shape. After the first accident I made many mistakes that didn’t help me get back into shape, so this time I decided to change my approach. I’d like to share with you what I think I did wrong the first time and what has helped me so far during the current rehabilitation process. After the first accident I wanted to get back into shape too fast. First of all, I overdid the exercises my physiotherapist gave me, because I thought my body could handle it. This worked well in the beginning, but after a week progress stopped and the pains started to increase. It was really frustrating to realize that by doing too much, I had actually taken several steps back which cost me much more time....

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Posted by on Feb 7, 2016 in miscellaneous | 0 comments

Where are the hills?

Where are the hills?

So this winter I decided to test my new Ridley Fenix SL winter bike in a country where it could actually get cold in the winter, so I’m doing some cycling in The Netherlands. To help me acclimatize, the weather gods decided it was best to let me cycle in the warmest winter in history… #notcomplaining. So here are my first thoughts: 1. Where are the hills? 2. I thought I knew what a strong wind was, then I started cycling in Holland 3. My Fenix SL is a spectacular bike, really happy with my choice! 4. The Selle San Marco saddle is a much comfier saddle than the Cirrus pro saddle on my Helium SL 5. Where are the bloody hills? Here are some pics I took during the first few rides in The Netherlands: Cycling on dykes and passing a windmill, how Dutch do you want...

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Posted by on Sep 3, 2013 in bikes, gear and gadgets, miscellaneous | 0 comments

A Polar Bottle traveling around the world… (caption contest update)

A Polar Bottle traveling around the world… (caption contest update)

On June 16 this year Tricia won the caption contest, so I sent her a Polar bottle, which 11 days later arrived safe and sound in Canada. I just found a @PolarBottle at my front door! All the way from #Sicily! Grazie @Don_Bici! pic.twitter.com/Pbc77fWvyx — Tricia Eggeling (@Trish_Eggeling) June 27, 2013 This summer Tricia went on a (cycling) holiday in France and took the Polar bottle with her. Here are some pics she just sent me: Thanks for the lovely pics, Tricia. It looks like you had a great holiday in France! I hope that Polar Bottle will travel some more and maybe finds it way back to Sicily, say somewhere around May 31 2014…;-) Looking forward to welcoming you on this lovely island. Cari saluti dalla bella Sicilia!...

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Posted by on Jun 7, 2013 in bikes, gear and gadgets, miscellaneous | 10 comments

Caption contest: win a Polar Bottle!

Caption contest: win a Polar Bottle!

Riding your bike in Sicily means for most part of the year riding in hot, sunny weather. With the high temperatures water in your water bottles will be lukewarm in no time, but with a Polar Bottle you can keep your water cool for 3 to 4 hours! Here’s how: Fill your Polar Bottle up about 80% and put it in the freezer the night before you go on a bike ride. If the bike route is less than 50 kilometers, then you should take the bottle out of the freezer at least one hour before you leave, otherwise you can leave the Polar Bottle in the freezer until the moment you start your ride in the Sicilian hills and mountains. If you go on a bike ride with me or one of the other local guides, we will lend you a Polar Bottle so you can test it yourself for free. But you can also win one! How? Very simple: leave a funny caption for the following photo...

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