Cycling 360 kilometers in about seventeen hours, and that for fun. That is the IJsselmeer Round. Famous in Assendelft, which is traditionally the start and finish of the tour that is always ridden on Ascension Day. The fiftieth and final edition will be next Thursday.
Participant Cor Gaal and organizer Raymond Delivery (Appie de Kikker) about the last IJsselmeer round – NH Nieuws
The board is old, the rules too much. In recent years – excluding corona – it has become increasingly difficult to organize the tour, which is why this is the last edition of the IJsselmeer Round.
Raymond Delivery – known to many residents of Assendelft by his stage name Appie de Kikker – is looking forward to the night from Wednesday to Thursday, when the tour starts at 0:00 AM. The day is successful for him when everyone has stayed on their bikes: “Everyone is back, without accidents and enjoying a beer. That’s what I’m looking forward to the most.”
When the cyclists come back from their trip, they are always greeted with a big welcome.
View images from the previous edition below (text continues below the video)
Who now thinks: for a round of the IJsselmeer you have to cross the Afsluitdijk, which is closed to cyclists, isn’t it? That’s right, and that hurts the cyclists. Buses have been arranged to take them back to North Holland.
Reunion
There will be a reunion next year, says Delivery. Then he wants to create an exhibition containing all kinds of historical material from the tour. Much has been collected on the website, but it is far from finished. “I’m still looking for things, because we’re still missing banners, group photos… I want to have it as complete as possible.”
Delivery has been part of the organization since 1996. He does not yet know what he will do at Ascension next year. “It will be strange later when it is no longer there.”
If you still have something at home for the exhibition, you can email to [email protected]†
? Don’t you want to miss anything from Zaanstreek-Waterland?
Seen a language error? Let us know at [email protected]