Being born and raised in Holland means we pretty much do everything on the bike: grocery shopping, going to school, and usually even to work.

So strong biking fitness for whatever you choose to do later in life! My earliest road cycling experience is from alternative training for rowing at university with many hours on a trainer in the hall of our student flat! In rowing, I made it to the world champs for under23 in double skulls and still benefit from the fitness and life skills such as planning and discipline I developed during these years.

Many cycling holidays in France with friends followed. Sjoerd, our eldest son, chose cycling as his sport when he was 8. After moving to New Zealand, he picked it up again in Cambridge when he was 11 and you know the rest. Luuk, our second son, is now also an avid cyclist in the PNBHS team and in Bike Manawatu. Mees, our youngest son, is a golf player, but you will see him on occasion on the sideline of a cycling event.

Mat, my husband was the chair of the Marist Cycling Club before Bike Manawatu was founded, and I had been a committee member of the Feilding Cycling Club from 2005/6 onwards. We are very pleased that Bike Manawatu finally is a force to be reckoned with, with a strong membership base and exciting annual calendar. No need to say we are passionate about cycling, the Manawatu is the best place in New Zealand, if not the world, to raise a family and to ride your bike!

Apart from being on the board of Bike Manawatu I sit on the Vision Manawatu board, and I work at Fonterra Research Centre opposite Massey, looking after Fonterra’s shared global research and technical functions. I bring governance experience, vision, energy and drive to whatever I do. As long as you learn, make a difference and have fun, life is good!