Ride #1: Bjorn van de Langenberg

For my first ‘Why We Ride’-ride I went cycling with Bjorn in the Boxtel/Den Bosch area. I got in touch with Bjorn after cycling the Gooische200 in September 2022, a graveltour of 200 km through ‘het Gooi’ that Bjorn co-organizes.It was the first time I cycled such a long distance. I called Bjorn afterwards to thank him for the good organization and we had a long talk about cycling in general. During that conversation, we also agreed to bike together sometime. On the 27th of January Bjorn took me out for a round trip of almost 40 km. It was a challenging ride with a lot of gravel, dirt roads and even swampy single tracks. In Den Bosch we stopped for coffee and a ‘Bossche Bol’. It was a really fun morning with a cool guy who has the same passion for cycling as I do.

Who are you?

I am Bjorn van de Langenberg, 43 years old and father of 2 sons, Mads (6 years old) and Jens (4 years old).

I am the oldest in a family of 5 children and therefore proverbially born to take over the family business, a tree nursery. After my education at the Higher Agricultural School in Den Bosch, I ran the tree nursery with my parents full-time for 10 years. However, I missed the freedom and drive to take over the business, so after much deliberation, I made the decision not to do that and followed my heart and passion. I started from scratch as an event manager in the sports industry and founded my own company, Super Sport Events. I started very broadly but over the years have focused more and more on the cycling industry because that’s where my real passion lies. I organize cycling clinics (with pros), cycling cafes, cycling tours, and I am a board member of Cima Coppi, a networking club for cycling entrepreneurs. I founded a new company with Bram Tankink and Jos van Emden and together we organize the Grenspalenklassieker. I work on a freelance basis for MB Sportswear, a sportswear brand with custom cycling clothing and I am active as a freelancer for other organizations in the cycling industry such as International Cycling Events for which I organize e.g. Grinduro and LTD Gravel Raid as a production manager.

For the extended version you can read my blog on LinkedIn: From arborist to sports entrepreneur.

Why do you cycle?

I have always been an avid athlete. I used to play a lot of soccer and at some point, when I started playing in a lower team, I also started cycling. At that time, exactly 10 years ago, I participated in Alpe d’HuZes. I trained like crazy then and ended up climbing that mountain 7 times in one day. From that moment on, a new hobby became a healthy addiction that eventually grew into my greatest passion which I have since made my job.

So cycling is much more than a hobby for me. As I said, it is my passion and at the same time an outlet in busy or stressful periods. There is nothing like jumping on a bike, getting out into nature and clearing your head. In addition, the bicycle is a means of connection for me to get to know other people with the same passion. Through cycling I have built my current network, I have met professional cyclists, I became a board member of Cima Coppi and through my events and personal experience I want to inspire and motivate other people to get on their bikes more often.

Pass on the baton. With whom should I bike the next ride with and why?

In fact, there are too many to choose from. I know a lot of people in the cycling industry by now and everyone has a great and personal story as to why they cycle. But for your next ride, you should go with Bram de Vrind a.k.a. De fietsjournalist.