Every year Martin de Boer organizes together with a few enthusiasts from the cycling group 50+, organizes a sponsor bicycle tour. Through an all-inclusive concept, people can cycle, enjoy good food and drink and raise money for charity. A week later, Martin organized another action: a bicycle ride of over 600 kilometers through the Netherlands.
Four years ago, Martin’s father-in-law was diagnosed with PLN. He has since died as a result. “My wife and sister-in-law are also carriers and are under control and supervision at UMC Utrecht,” Martin explained. The ladies were recently featured in the North Holland newspaper with their story. In previous years, the group cycled for a friend who was starting a school in Malawi, but he decided to quit. Therefore, the idea for a new goal arose.
Action 1: The Sponsor Bike Ride
“We just want to enjoy cycling. When I suggested PLN Foundation as a goal everyone immediately agreed. The reactions were hugely stimulating, really of: we just do it!” Thus, the bike day on June 8 became more than a nice day, as a sum of 2,500 euros was raised for PLN during the day!
Martin is extremely grateful to all participants and looks back on a very successful day together and for PLN. “During the introductory talk, we also asked who was a PLN carrier. Quite a few hands went up. That gave the other participants a sense of connection and direct relationship to where the proceeds would go.”
Action 2: A 600-kilometer bike ride, the largest circle in the Netherlands
In addition to the special bike day on June 8, another special action followed on June 14, 15 and 16. Martin and some of his cycling buddies, in fact, spent these days cycling a “tour” through the Netherlands with a real broom wagon accompanying them: this tour was a whopping 600 kilometers in all!
At first the plan was to bike the Styrkeprøven in Norway, but that soon proved to be a tall order. The men had watched a team from the foundation compete in the well-known Monster Ride two years ago. “It takes a lot of preparation, we weren’t going to make that. But we wanted to do something.”
The beginning of the journey vs. the end of the journey
In total, there were 117 donors, who over the two-day span of these actions raised more than 14,000 euros for PLN Foundation! We are enormously pleased with all the efforts and thank Martin and his cycling group 50+ for this great effort. What strength, motivation and enthusiasm during this diptych of actions!
Do you also want to contribute to a world without PLN? Then like Martin, start your own action or make a donation to one of the ongoing actions on our website. The money we raise through donations is spent 100% on research objectives.