World Tour

Joosje

www.rideinthemiddle.com

What I could never have imagined – ride in the middle

When I slowly climb a steep hill, while the sun burns my neck and shoulders, I curse my load. Downhill, following the tail of Joeri’s whirlwind, I fall head over heels. After 8 hours on my steel, rubbing my sore muscles, I hate my bicycle. It’s my safest haven and my worst enemy. It’s what I always wanted and never could imagine.

In my front panniers, there’s my bathroom and office. In the back, I have a wardrobe, kitchen and my bed. It’s everything I have.

 
 
 
 
 
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No climate control. No power steering. No window between me and the world. I do not go fast. I do not go gentle. People can touch me.

People see me. People call me, people stop me. I smell piss, sweat, barbeque. Wood fires, burned plastics and rain. I hear children’s voices singing in class rooms, hear women laugh, men shout.

I see astonishment, joy and pain in the eyes of people next to me on the doorstep of a shagged little shop, where I just bought myself a soft drink.

I hear the voice of the imam peal over arid lands. Feel the soft, warm skin of a baby which someone just now pushed into my arms. I savor the wee tasting chai which is served in an old, cramped shack.

 
 
 
 
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There’s the awkward silence between me and the three staring sisters who came sit opposite to me on the hard wooden benches, eating a bowl of intestines for breakfast. Outside, my bicycle crashes to the ground.

I feel my hart ruffling.

That.

That.

All those small moments. The way to feel the world. To wander through.

We cycled through long stretches of Africa. Went across New Zealand and pedaled into Iran. We are not done yet. During our long way home, I will load my panniers with new worlds, words and moments.

Early 2016, my partner Joeri and I left the Netherlands to wander into the unknown. Since then, we have cycled through Uganda, Kenia, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, New Zealand and Iran. We are currently riding back to the Netherlands via Armenia, Georgia and East Europe.