Climbing the Mont Ventoux in France on a Van Raam tricycle

Cycling with a muscular disease

Ruud has two congenital muscle diseases, namely HSP and CP. Because of these diseases his muscles are slowly deteriorating. Walking is sometimes difficult and sometimes Ruud uses a walker. Riske, Ruud's sister helps her brother a lot at home. She does his groceries and goes with him to the doctor. Because the help of Riske, it is possible for Ruud to live on his own.

Ruud already does swimming and rugby. He also used to enjoy cycling. To De Gelderlander (Dutch newspaper), Ruud told: "Cycling used to be my major hobby. At that time I was able to ride a two-wheeler, but because of my muscle diseases I received a tricycle.'' Ruud tries to cycle as much as possible on his Easy Rider Small and is also really dependent on his tricycle.

Ruud decided to cycle up Mont Ventoux in June and he has been cycling 60 km per week since then to train his muscles. To be able to cycle up Mont Ventoux, Ruud's muscles are also  treated well at the Hospital. Riske (sister of Ruud) notices that her brother is in top form. She told De Gelderlander:” He is now also able to cycle to me, and you see that he becomes happier when he does a lot of sports.''

Cycling on a tricycle for charity

Friday, September 7, 2018 Ruud participated in the Ventoux3, this event collects money for the Brain Tumor Fund. The treatment of brain tumors is complicated because these tumors occur in a difficult place in the body. While survival times and survival rates for many types of cancer have increased sharply in recent decades, the perspective for brain tumor patients remained unchanged.

The participants of Ventoux3 climbed Mont Ventoux 1, 2 or 3 times (extreme sports enthusiasts were allowed up to 4 times). The three different climbs are 21, 21 and 26 km long and total over 4500 altimeters. So the challenge is huge! Ruud raised over 2,500 euros and his team even raised over 30,000 euros. Ruud cycled with the team together for Simone. Simone is an acquaintance of Ruud who unfortunately died of a brain tumor. Ruud cycled the trip on his Van Raam tricycle.

Climbing a mountain on a tricycle

Ruud had prepared well for the hard climb. The Mont Ventoux is 1,912 meters high and on a tricycle that is a big challenge. On his Easy Rider Small tricycle, Ruud practiced 60 kilometers a week in the hilly surroundings of Berg en Dal (The Netherlands). The Easy Rider Small is a smaller version of the tricycle Easy Rider. This bike has a cool and sporty look and with the pedal assistance that Ruud has he can cycle in different assistance modes.

Ruud experienced his workouts as very manageable. While practicing, he sometimes cycled up the Oude Holleweg( The Netherlands) three times in one day. The Oude Holleweg is the most difficult climb in the Middle-Netherlands. With an incline of around 14 percent, this climb causes a heart rate around 200 beats per minute.

In the beginning of September Ruud left with his sister, two supporters and two teammates in a van to France. Ruud told De Gelderlander: "I have the feeling that I'm ready. I'll reach the top anyway and then I will be completely broken. ''I guess, it will take me 4 to 5 hours. When I reach the top I'm planning to drink a beer if I can do that."

Video: Ruud practices on his tricycle for the Mont Ventoux

In the area Berg en Dal of Holland, Ruud had been training hard since early June 2018 for the Mont Ventoux, which he climbed in early September. In the video and article (in Dutch) by De Gelderlander, he shows his Easy Rider Small tricycle and tells more about the cycling tour for Ventoux3.