Aart Huijg werkte de laatste jaren als leraar aan een universiteit in Amsterdam. Houdend van zijn vak, haatte hij de daarbij behorende levensstijl. Vast achter het bureau voor 8 uur per dag.

Zo sprong hij op zijn fiets en besloot om aan een heel groot avontuur te beginnen. Fietsen van de Noord- naar de Zuidpool, zo dicht als met de fiets mogelijk. Zijn tocht startte in Pruhoe Bay, Alaska en zal eindigen het meest zuidelijke puntje van Zuid Amerika.

Lees zijn blog...

Competition without winner

Most of the times, I am unaware of my competitive behavior, but it is getting really obvious when I am cycling with somebody else. About one month ago, Gerrit joined me to roll down to the Mexican border. From the first day, he became my number one competitor. Probably, he has never really been aware of his participation to my ongoing battle. Without doubt, he has borne the daily consequences. Already early in the morning, the game starts. When we pack our tents, his slowness confirms that I am too fast to handle. Later during the day, the game is all about who is the fastest on the road. Wind, rain or snow. I make sure that I am always in pole position. In my competitor's eyes, I can see he has a hard time and is about to give up. However, Gerrit is tough and holds a good second position for weeks.

One man down

A strong headwind makes it nearly impossible to cycle. I do not give up, though, and take the lead for hours. Gradually, we climb to over 2,200 meters. My muscles are making over hours to make the wind look like a meagre breeze. The smell of victory surrounds me as I am getting closer to the mountain pass. For a moment, I get distracted by the scenic surrounding and stop to take some shitty pictures. Rapidly, I take Monster between my legs and speed up again. Then, around the corner, I find Gerrit sitting next to his bicycle at the side of the road. He holds his head between his knees and is out of breath. When he looks up, I can see tears in his eyes. Immediately, I realize he has become victim of my endless strive for competition. Unaware of the latter, Gerrit blames his bad shape.

Crappy first try

In front of Walmart, we grab the family box of Oreo's out of the grocery bag. While eating the cookies, we look at big American trucks passing by at the parking lot. Suddenly, I feel the urge to tell him honestly how I feel. That my body is exhausted. Gerrit does not seem to be surprised. Though, it strikes him that just when he is doing better I am doing worse. That remark works on my nerves. Is he saying he is better than me? Whatever it may be, I pick up my armour and start the fight again. I give him all the legitimate reasons for my tiredness. When I am done with my monologue, it remains silent. I feel like a fool again and wonder what to do next. Deep inside of me, I would love to admit my weaknesses and mistake straight away. Something blocks me, though.

Now, it is time to show Gerrit this blog. Probably, he will feel a lot better about his achievement this morning when he was trying to keep up with while me climbing the first two mountains.

Je kunt Aart volgen via zijn Facebook of website.  Aart rijdt op een door de Giant Store Amsterdam gesponsorde Giant Expedition AT.