October 12, 2021
Last month, Energiefonds Overijssel organized a cycling tour with the ominous name ‘The Hell of Twente’. Investment Associate Eva Post reports.
In-person contact
After a year of seeing clients and partners exclusively on screen, Energiefonds Overijssel felt it was high time to meet in person again. We were therefore very pleased with the many registrations from enthusiastic partners who wanted to cycle with us. Suddenly, we received word from the organizer that he had decided to cancel the tour. Thanks to Willem’s connections, we were able to obtain the official route and fortunately, we could still go ahead with the Hell of Twente organized by Energiefonds Overijssel. The weather forecast looked fantastic for the day of the tour, so nothing could stop us.
Professional peloton
On Wednesday, September 8 at 9 AM, a group of 21 enthusiastic cyclists gathered at the starting point. The serious outfits and beautiful bikes of the participants meant that—in my eyes—we looked like a professional peloton. After a cup of coffee with ‘krentenwegge’ and safety instructions from steward Willem, we were all ready for the start.
Two groups
The original plan was for two groups to ride: a trained group would cover 96 km and a less-trained group 71 km. The beautiful weather and the pleasant group persuaded the less-trained cyclists to join the longer route, a decision some cyclists regretted later that day. We cycled the first approximately 50 kilometers together with the entire peloton, providing plenty of opportunity to catch up on the sustainable initiatives everyone is working on.
After that, the ‘less fast’ group had to drop back a bit to save their strength. Investment manager Willem and Knillis from CCS launched an impressive pursuit from the slower group to the fast group. After the break, the fast group went for the serious work: climbs and high speeds, while the slower group made its way calmly to the finish.
No traffic lights
It was a beautiful route through the most scenic parts of Twente and Grafschaft Bentheim in Germany, which took us past several wind turbines and rooftop solar panels. Under a clear blue sky, we cycled through rolling hills, flat meadows, and forested nature reserves, interspersed with cornfields, without ever encountering a traffic light.
Sporting achievement
The participants delivered a fantastic performance. The fast group rode 96 km with an average speed of 30 km per hour. The slower group still covered 83 km with an average speed of 25 km per hour. At the finish, we were able to recover and catch up while enjoying a refreshing drink and a sausage roll. Many thanks to the participants and especially to the lead riders Barry and Siem. We hope to see you all again at the next edition of the tour.
