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Johan Leman, 2 September 2022

We will surely devote a podcast to the bicycle trip to Morocco by the young people of the Foyer, both Dutch and French speaking. But we have already made a number of observations.

1.            On the first day, after 50 kilometres of cycling, one participant wanted to give up: “I can’t do it”. After talking to a leader who was accompanying the young cyclists and who, after encouraging the young person, simply continued to ride his bike, the young person also got back on and… arrived like the others in Marseille, by bike, and in Morocco. First observation: such a trip is character building, and willpower and perseverance are honed.

2.            But before you leave, you must of course also train and plan… As a young person who is not used to cycling a lot, can you manage an average of 70 kilometres a day, and can you keep up this pace for about 1200 kilometres? Training and planning are necessary.

3.            Planning also means: where can we sleep? And can we make sure that it doesn’t cost too much? An average of 8 euros per night and per dinner… per day, per person…

4.            We need someone with us who can easily repair bicycles or fix a flat tyre. We need to plan for one puncture per day for the whole group!

5.            We also have to learn to live with others… and the evening fatigue can make it difficult to live together.

6.            But sometimes you meet new people and have new experiences…

These are just a few observations… but let’s conclude: apart from the pleasure of cycling, it is an incredibly instructive process.

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