Kees made it, 1000 laps around the IJsselmeer: ​​”I’m not imitating him”

The round that he cycles does have one big minus. Work has been going on at the Afsluitdijk for years and Kees is obliged to take the bus. To make his round 200 kilometers long, he cycles a bit in the province of Flevoland. “Yes, there I cycle 30 kilometers longer to compensate for the part by bus.”

Text continues below the video.

This morning, just after seven, Kees left to cycle his round, accompanied by two cyclist friends. “Normally I leave a little earlier and cycle alone, because no one wants to come along so early,” explains Kees. But this time it is special: Kees is cycling his 1000th lap and that is a major milestone of 200,000 kilometers. So he leaves a little later today, so that his company can also come along.

Routine

In his daily routine, Kees gets up at 4 a.m. to deliver the newspapers. After that job, he grabs his racing bike as quickly as possible, after which he makes a round of the IJsselmeer. His wife, whom he has been married to for 47 years, is fine with it. “As long as I don’t have to come,” she says with a laugh.

Despite the fact that Kees leaves in the dark and often cycles alone, his wife is not worried. “If it has fallen, he will call. And in case of a hard fall I will certainly be called by the hospital. Because when you make a collision or fall, there is always someone else involved who can help you. If not, someone will come along,” she says soberly.

Ever gone wrong

In all those rounds it went wrong once. “Yes, I once broke my pelvis in three places. Someone in front of me made a pendulum and I ended up in his wheel, causing me to fall. In the ambulance they thought it was bruised and I was sent home. Home it kept hurting and then it turned out to be broken later,” Kees looks back.

Text continues below the photo.

Along the way, Kees has also made friends – in all those thousand rounds. In Lemmer they were also aware of his ‘anniversary tour’. “Yes, a few friends made this football shirt for me”, Kees says proudly. He wears a shirt of football club sc Heerenveen, with the number 1000 on it.

Time for a party

After 190 kilometers Kees cycles past Medemblik for the 1000th time, where his 13-year-old grandson is waiting this time. “I cycle the last 10 kilometers as support for my grandfather, which I am very proud of,” he says. He has to keep up with the pace, but the group is on their way to Andijk.

At home in Andijk, friends and family are waiting for Kees. “I don’t copy him. He always says that every lap is different. I don’t think so, but I also think that the 1000th has become a goal that he has cycled to,” says his son.

Kees previously told NH news that his goal was to cycle a thousand laps around the IJsselmeer. Now that he has achieved this, Kees is not going to stop. “Maybe I’ll take it easy. Or I’ll cycle another round, for example around the Markermeer.”