The Trio are back..Barry, Mary Ellen and Seavo Are On the Road Again

June 15, 2024

Maastritch to Bunde

Wouldn’t have guessed when we first arrived in Maastritch for one or two nights that we would be here for days plus time in Valkenburg. It has been a brute. The Novotel has become our place of comfort and refuge while navigating the stressful process of finding help for Seavo and then waiting for the work to be done. A bright light has been the incredible staff at the Novotel. Thanks Mari for your welcome and help during our stay.

Today is a day of waiting, being patient and having faith that Seavo will be fixed and released to us today. Marcel warned us that he would need until the afternoon…sometime between 3 and 5, before we could have Seavo. So, we hung out at the hotel and went for a walk to have lunch at a place close to the bike shop. We have booked a place to stay, about 30 km from Maastritch along the Maas River. 🤞

Talentino de Greune Luiper is a bakery and restaurant. Barry has walked by here often on his way to Albert Heijn grocery store and has wanted to give it a try. Today is the day.

Things are starting well. With an order of a cup of coffee, they include a yummy cookie from their bakery and a sample in a cone of a tasty dessert topped with whipped cream.

We both ordered a lunch option that gives a sampling of some of their specialties…veggie soup with small meatballs, beef croquette (didn’t know they could be so good) and salad.

The restaurant is a quirky place with lots of character. Looking around, we could see that the place is full of locals and regulars.

Well, it is 2:30, so we’ll walk over to the bike shop…just in case. Yeah, Seavo is once again road worthy. We’ll wait for Marcel to finish a job as he wants to show us what he has done.

Marcel, his wife Sam and a young fellow learning the ropes at the bike shop. Thank you.

Two thumbs up and his smile tell me what I need to know. Marcel impressed upon us how bad our bike was. He had so much trouble removing the Rohloff sprocket, that worst case scenario, he was contemplating building a new rear wheel. It took him a lot of time and much elbow grease to get it off. Oh boy.

So here we are…Seavo now has new chains….it takes four regular bike chains, a new Bafang chainring, a new Rohloff sprocket and 2 chainrings (one at the front where Barry’s pedals are, and one on the other side for Mary Ellen). If we could have sourced the Bafang chainring sooner, we could have had it fixed earlier in the trip. We have been lucky.

Admired the tile details on this home across from the bike shop.

Seavo is fully loaded and we are raring to go. 👍🥳

Liked this mural on the side of the house.

Our idea of bliss is riding in Holland on these clay coloured bike routes.

A pheasant out for a bit of lunch…a handsome guy.

The ride out of Maastritch was easy with great signage for the Maasroute and good bike infrastructure. We are now passing through rural areas and villages.

Wild horses, known as Konik are a Polish breed of pony. They were introduced to the Netherlands in 1980.

Since these horses have no natural predator, the population has increased rapidly at a faster rate than expected. The horses are feral and by Dutch law, it is prohibited to feed them, or interfere with the population size.

Meerssenhoven is a small castle. The castle dates back to the 15th century but the main house was erected in 1743. In the Middle Ages, the castle was occupied by a succession of knights who preyed on merchants sailing the River Maas. The notorious Wilhelm van der Mark, nicknamed “the swine of the Ardennes” also operated from this castle. He was captured in 1488 by troops from Maastritch and Liège and was beheaded.

Over the following centuries, Meersshoven was destroyed and rebuilt several times. In 1742 the entire home was torn down and rebuilt into the shape and style we now see.

We have been seeing this on many homes…a flag with a backpack and in this case schoolbooks as well. As we suspected, it is a tradition for a family to hang on their flagpole a knapsack…sometimes a purse for a girl, to celebrate that their child has graduated from high school.

We will be staying with a Vrienden op de Fiets (Friends of Cyclists) host tonight in their home in Bunde. We are members (costs 10 euros) which gives us access to their directory and the right to book a stay. The arrangement requires that the host provides accomodation with privacy, a safe place to store your bike, tools for the bike and a nutritious breakfast. The cost per night is 25 euros per person.

Our host is Beppie, a lovely woman with a great sense of humour. As always, we are welcomed into her home and given a comfortable place to stay. Vrienden op de Fiets is such a wonderful organization that gives us access to memorable experiences.

Today's ride: 32 km (20 miles)
Total: 1,223 km (759 miles)

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Mike AylingGood that Seavo is roadworthy again.
I have a single bike with a Bafang midmotor and it certainly wears chains quickly and the extra pedalling power of a tandem would make the chain wear a lot quicker. As soon as the Rolloff sprocket shows signs of wear your friendly bike shop should reverse it so that the wear starts in the opposite direction.
Similarly when your chain rings show signs of wear replace them before your next long trip.
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5 months ago

Torsten LifHello from Torsten the Cyberspace Cyclist! It was great to meet you today. Like I said, I continued to Liths, where there's no camping any more! Doom and gloom...

But the nice girls at the restaurant arranged for me to be let into the boat club's enclosure. So after hammering my tent pegs onto the "grass" by their boat slips, I've showered and am now back at the restaurant, enjoying a pizza and beer.

Where did you end up today?

/Torsten
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4 months ago

Torsten LifTo Torsten LifP.S. It turns out I already signed up for a Cycleblaze account somewhere in the past, but never used if. Whaddaya know...
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4 months ago

Barry BartlettTo Torsten LifHello Torsten
We are staying at the home of a vrienden op de Fiets host in Hertogenbosch. It was great meeting a fellow recumbent rider on tour. The weather is suppose to improve on Sunday. We have had a very rainy and cold trip so far, so a change in the weather will be great.
Happy pedalling,
Barry and Mary Ellen
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4 months ago