Willem has left. The house has gone quiet.
Snippets of memories start to form…words that have been spoken toil and echo in the mind… in a Belgian accent.
It’s been a privilege hosting this guy. He had flown in from his hometown, Brussels, to Zambia almost three months ago.
With his bicycle.
Then started his epic, solo journey from Livingstone, through Zimbabwe, Kwazulu-Natal, the Drakensberg, Eastern Cape and south coast to his end destination: Cape Town. Sleeping in his little tent on the side of the road. Or being offered overnight accommodation by strangers. Sometimes hosted for a day or two by members of the Warmshowers community.
One can barely think of a more intense way of demonstrating love for the outdoors, the earth, and trust in humankind, than jumping on a bicycle and riding for weeks on end through unfamiliar territories, populated by foreign cultures. Not knowing exactly what the next meal may be, or where you will sleep tonight.
Yes. Sadly – after spending a week here – Willem has gone. Checking maps, discussing the route, and packing his bicycle (and some “padkos” – his favourite Afrikaans word), before setting off on his last major stage. With the wind in his hair again, the African sun on his skin, and the open road twisting ahead of him, it was not long before he caught his very first sight of Table Mountain in the distance. A special moment. The final horizon.
Shortly he will be packing up his bicycle, to get on a plane and take to the skies back to the Northern hemisphere.
Thank you, Willem. For sharing experiences, stories and ideas with me and my friends. For broadening our horizons… as you have seen so many…. And thank you for the amazing hours of discussions about the Belgian classic cycle races. The true heart of authentic road cycling – where the boundaries between sport, tradition and religion merge.
When the spring comes to West Flanders in April, and the holy week of Belgian cycling dawns – I will be there. We will meet again.
Chapeau!
