On Monday, it was time for my second Elfstedentocht. I was a bit nervous the day before when I was preparing all my stuff. I had cleaned my bike a few days before and checked it to be sure it would hold up the 235km.

My starting time was 7 a.m., but there was already a bit of a delay, so I was away at 7:20. It was a beautiful morning. It was warm, and the sun was shining already, and even for the second time, it felt super special to start with so many other cyclists.

The first half of the tour was swift. Bad weather was coming in the afternoon, so everybody was in a bit of a rush. We flew through the first cities at around 30 km an hour. Every town was beautiful, and even in the early morning, many people were outside to watch us come by.

At the 150k mark, the trouble began. We were cycling through the grasslands, and right at that moment, a thunderstorm was getting over our heads. We quickly cycled through until the next city, and when we arrived there, it started pouring—not an average amount, but so much that the drains couldn’t keep up. There were about 20 centimetres of water on the street, so we had to go and take shelter at a nearby sports centre before we could get on.

The second half of the tour was sunny again, which was nice because I was completely soaked. I got back on the bike because there was still some cycling to do. Every kilometre got harder, but when the finish was in sight, getting the last stamp and receiving the medallion felt really good. But I can’t lie—it felt rewarding to sit down finely back at home, and it wasn’t long before I fell asleep.