(L-R) Sander van der Fluit; René Beltjens; Marc Bijlsma;
Credit: Ali Sahib, Chronicle.lu
Back in late April, three cyclists led a 7,000 km expedition which departed from Tallinn to conclude in Gibraltar approximately two and a half months later. The aim of the “2Wheels4Purpose” charity project was to raise awareness of breast cancer and raise €1 million for Fondation Saint-Luc’s breast cancer research. The initiative started with more than 60 cyclists participating in a two-day prologue ride from Luxembourg to Brussels, covering several hundred kilometres.
The initiative’s three founders included René Beltjens, a member of the Supervisory Board at Alter Domus and former Head of Tax at PwC Luxembourg, Marc Bijlsma and Sander van der Fluit, a Dutch entrepreneur based in Luxembourg. The start was reported on in Chronicle.lu at the time (https://chronicle.lu/category/charity-volunteering/60706-cyclists-launch-2wheels4purpose-cancer-ride-in-luxembourg-to-raise-eur1m).
Four months later, Chronicle.lu caught up with Sander van der Fluit to learn about how the project had gone.
Chronicle.lu: When the expedition was launched in April, the project had already raised more than €310,000 towards its €1 million target. By the time you reached Gibraltar, that figure had grown to more than €430,000. Where does the fundraising stand today, and are you satisfied with what the project has achieved so far?
Sander van der Fluit: Today the project has raised approximately €600,000. We continue to raise money at least until the end of the year to come as close as possible to our objective of €1 million. This may be a good moment to say a sincere and heartfelt THANK YOU to all of you that have supported our charity (Fondation Saint-Luc in Brussels - breast cancer research). It has really been inspiring to see all the reactions and the donations come in.
Chronicle.lu: Looking back, what do you consider the greatest success of the project? Was it the amount raised, the awareness generated, the people you met along the way, or something else entirely?
Sander van der Fluit: That is a really difficult question as it really depends on the angle you take. Overall I think that the biggest achievement was that everything; the Prologue (90 people cycling over two days from Luxembourg to Brussels), the ride, the hotels, safety, fitness, the support van and so much more, all completed without incidents. There were no major mechanicals, illness, injuries, delays, anything at all in a trip where we did significantly more then intended (cycling wise (kms/elevation) - people traveling in and out, we faced cold, rain, snow and sub zero temperatures, lots of gravel roads and heat waves. It went all off without a hitch - and in hindsight looks even easy. The second thing for me is the incredible energy that you feel from the people as you interact with them during the project and the trip. Even in the preparation, but also the people that joined us for one or a couple of days. The positive energy, the drive to support and the feedback afterwards (mostly for weeks after still) - all so positive. I have seen people (re)start their health journey and sticking with them and thinking of ways to live in function of service and purpose. That is exactly the momentum you want to create and the energetic footprint you want to leave in the world. Beyond the direct charity it is an additional purpose and achievement that I am personally very proud of.
Chronicle.lu: Did people donate spontaneously during the journey after learning about your mission? Are there any encounters or stories that particularly stayed with you?
Sander van der Fluit: A couple of stories come to mind. One is of an auntie in Holy Island - far removed from Brussels and Luxembourg but arguably my biggest fan and follower. She runs a bed and breakfast and has spoken to the whole island about the trip. Afterwards I went there for a visit and I had to shake hands with lots of people that knew all about me - I had no clue. They are still raising money with all of their customers and visitors to the island via local events and no charge for breakfast but direct donations to the Fondation Saint-Luc. It's the attitude and effort (and of course the results from it) that are inspiring, and the fact that the initiative and awareness is disseminated this way. Another story that comes to mind is a donation we received, and we had no idea who from... René and I have spotted a 50K donation.... from an individual! Turns out to be a friend that thought it is a good cause and an amazing effort. Moments like those make you stop and stand still and realise two things: One - we are doing something special if people react that way; and two - there are genuinely generous people around - that are not even looking for credit! They just donated and we had to track them down.
Chronicle.lu: If you are able to share this information, what was the largest single donation the project received, and who made it?
Sander van der Fluit: That would be the person I just mentioned - no names though, just an incredible thank you! A second donor (again no names) is a benefactor that promised to double any donation made during the last days of the trip (up to 50K). This is not only incredibly generous, it also sparked a flurry of smaller donations as people realised their money carried double the weight.
Chronicle.lu: Covering more than 8,000 kilometres across over twenty countries is an enormous physical and mental challenge. What proved to be the most difficult part of the expedition?
Sander van der Fluit: Again a difficult one to answer. I think this is very personal to each of us. For me it was probably the routine and similarity of each day. I
am a fairly active person and like to engage in a lot of different things hobbies and have a large variety of people around me. At some point you feel like you have done the same thing day after day (six weeks), same routine over and over, and you realise there is still a month to go. However that never made me hesitate or want to stop, it just made me grumpy as for me it was combined with poor sleep for a couple of nights. Both René and I (and Marc to a certain extent) are very goal oriented and resilient and persistent (stubborn...) - so there was never any doubt that we would finish the ride.
Chronicle.lu: Were there any moments when one of the three riders seriously considered stopping, or when you had to encourage each other to continue?
Sander van der Fluit: Not at all - never. I think that was one of the most remarkable things, the team. We were very much ourselves but supportive to each other and everything went naturally smoothly. I did receive some targeted coaching one time where I was thinking of doing something that would cost me a good night sleep (I might have gotten grumpy again) - but no-one ever felt like quitting. We have one occurrence where Marc had to stop a climb due to the heat in Spain (the Montserrat climb at 14:30, fully during the hottest time of day). But that is where we adjusted the departure times to early in the morning and ensured that we had the best possible circumstances even though there was a heatwave ongoing.
Chronicle.lu: Did you experience any dangerous situations on the road or during overnight stops that made you rethink the risks of such an expedition?
Sander van der Fluit: Despite the many countries (23) and the varied countryside and types of roads, I don't think we have had situations that were too dangerous. We had quite a few sections where we had to carry our bikes due to closed roads or blockages on the road. But those sections only added to the adventure and were never dangerous. Also, we had a support van with us which provided us with optionality. At one specific occasion, we were faced with a significant detour because a bridge was closed or a long section on the hard shoulder of the highway. That would have been dangerous, but at that point we opted to jump in the van and drive the detour. Ultimately, we therefore just started at the other side of the bridge avoiding the way too dangerous option. We did at some point start to resent the many gravel sections on our road bikes. Surprisingly, our bikes largely withstood the harsh gravel roads, however René and I were less keen on these sections. At times the graveled sections were either loose sand or big rocks which caused us to walk. The toughest example of that was actually after the finish in Gibraltar. We had finished but needed to make our way back to the hotel. It was meant to be a quick cycle of 20km, however due to lack of roads we ended up carrying our bikes over the beach for 30 minutes. And we were supposed to have finished already....
Chronicle.lu: Which country or place left the strongest impression on you, either because of the scenery, the people or the reception you received?
Sander van der Fluit: For me, Slovenia. The combination of beauty of the mountains we cycled through, Lake Bled, but also very much the friendliness of the people.
Although I had already been there with my parents as a kid (it was still part of Yugoslavia at that time) - I did not realise the diversity of the country. Traveling there is furthermore made easy because most people speak English.
Chronicle.lu: Throughout the journey, did your perception of the project change? Did it become something different from what you had imagined when you set off from Tallinn?
Sander van der Fluit: Before the start it seemed like this huge project. I was looking forward to it, but also almost felt like I should say goodbye to my loved ones... almost like I wasn't sure I would come back. Of course not literally, but it seemed almost that daunting. The first stages done, you would get into a rhythm of waking up, cycling, eating, recovery and trying to optimise sleep. It becomes a routine and every day is just a day you go cycling... one step at a time. This way the massive 8,000km cycling trip through 23 countries became just a couple (67) cycle rides and very manageable. I think my most emotional moments on the bike were when I cycled through the south of France, all these familiar places from my holiday throughout my life (I have been there many times both as a kid, young adult and recently at my sisters' place near Nice). I have all these special memories there and now I was nearly completing this momentous ride and taking this trip down memory lane… The fundraising was a constant during the trip, although the mental energy was waning during the last couple weeks, although it very much picked up in that last days where we also saw a spike in the money raised as we more than completed our goal.
Chronicle.lu: Finally, what happens next for 2Wheels4Purpose? Do you see this as the conclusion of a one-off challenge, or is this only the beginning of a longer initiative?
Sander van der Fluit: We are still contemplating this, there is quite a few follow ups with media like yourselves that we will continue to support. Secondly, the
last week of August, starting the 23rd, I will be starting with a 2Wheels4Purpose team in the Haute Route Alpes, a week-long cycling race. Also we have arranged for a session with Fondation Saint-Luc (28 January) to tell our story in detail to our generous benefactors in person, but also for the Fondations to provide further background to some of the amazing work they are doing. In addition, we do feel like we have created somewhat of a brand and will want to further support the charity Fondation Saint-Luc. As such we are once again in the planning stages but there are more concrete plans for an Epilogue. This would be in the spirit of the prologue we did prior to our departure in Tallinn. But more things are potentially to come....
