Thursday 2nd.... forecast winds are strong enough to allow the event,
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Eight and a half kilometers of cycling with a hard headwind. That's not fun for anyone, you might think. Yet tomorrow (Thursday, November 2) the Eneco NK Headwind Cycling will take place for the eighth time. “It will only take place at wind force seven or higher.”
Since the first edition in 2013, the Eneco NK Headwind Cycling has been a resounding success. What started as a joke for an advertising campaign quickly turned into an annual event that many Dutch people look forward to. Initiator Robrecht Stoekenbroek: “This time too, people are extremely enthusiastic.” The eighth edition will take place tomorrow (Thursday).
That is how it works
The rules are clear: minimum wind force seven in a south-westerly direction. “Every participant gets their own bicycle. Without gears, with coaster brake. In total you pedal yourself eight and a half kilometers over the Oosterscheldekering. The location of the barrier is perfect: with a good south-westerly storm you have a full headwind.”
The stronger the wind, the better. But with safety first. “In 2020 it was so windy that we had to cancel the match early. It's good to suffer, but we want to prevent accidents at all times. Some gusts of wind were so strong that cyclists were blown from side to side. Fortunately, all participants have remained unharmed so far.”
Anyone who dares can participate. “From an Olympic rowing champion to the baker on the corner: there is no qualification or selection in advance,” says Stoekenbroek, who likes that the field of participants is so diverse. “Whoever you are and whatever you do, you cycle the same damn race as every other participant. There are separate rankings for men, women and teams.”
A piece of Dutch history
The event was originally conceived ten years ago to draw attention to sustainable energy. “I have a creative advertising agency and we were asked by Eneco to come up with a campaign for their green energy: Eneco HollandseWind & Zon® . Because ten years ago hardly anyone was concerned with sustainability and energy companies, we decided to organize the Eneco NK Tegenwindfietsen to attract attention.”
If you feel how hard the wind is working against you, you can also appreciate it more when the wind is working for you, was the motto. “It was actually a one-off joke, but people responded so enthusiastically that we organized a second edition. After that, appreciation from both participants and the press continued to grow – and we decided to make it an annual event.”
