Arjan Jansen was hitchhiking along the road in Hoorn with his son at 10 a.m. this morning. He participates in the annual Thumbs Race, a competition to make a round of the IJsselmeer as quickly as possible, but with the thumbs up: hitchhiking.
“We are now sitting on a terrace in Meppel. This is about the middle of the route,” Arjen says on the radio this afternoon at regional broadcaster WEEFF. He is participating for the fourth time this year, and for the first time with his son.
The Thumb Race, held by café Swaf, will be held for the tenth time. The idea is to hitchhike around the IJsselmeer as quickly as possible. There are several assignments along the way and you can earn points. Every year a different theme is also devised for the competition. Finally, there are prizes to be won in several categories.
There is a checkpoint in Meppel. “The pub there, the Beurs, has been willing to check whether we as participants are coming by since the creation of the Thumb Race.”
Lifting is smooth
Arjen and his son don’t really have a problem with getting a lift. “It’s actually going pretty well. We talked to the previous hitchhiker about it and he said, ‘It’s often people with less money, or they’re taking part in a competition.’ And because we are also dressed up, motorists are also curious.”
Once hitchhiking in a car, Arjen encounters a wide variety of people. “One tells his life story in five minutes. But I’ve also had that I was in the car with a man who smoked and listened to jazz and didn’t say a word.”
Hanging on the terrace for a long time is not an option for the duo. “We have to be in before 8 p.m. I’ve had times when we arrived too late, and then you get disqualified. So we’ll be back with the thumbs up.”